


Surviving the Last Guardian

by ChocolateSyrup



Category: The Last Guardian (Video Game)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-27
Updated: 2017-06-27
Packaged: 2018-11-19 13:00:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 26
Words: 101,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11313918
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChocolateSyrup/pseuds/ChocolateSyrup
Summary: Playing a game is one thing, but actually getting sucked into one is an entirely different matter - especially when you have to deal with a giant, unpredictable cat-dog-bird creature that doesn't always listen.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, guys! It's ChocolateSyrup from fanfiction.net! I've decided to try posting this story here to try out this site for the second time (I've only posted one other story here before.) I hope I'm doing everything right...and I hope you enjoy!

_Be among the chosen ones..._

In my dream, Trico was real. Trico—the giant cat-dog-bird creature created by none other than Fumito Ueda for The Last Guardian on the Playstation 4. It was huge, had talons and feathers, and while it was supposed to be intimidating...it was one of the cutest characters I had ever seen.

So cute in fact, that I just  _had_  to go and buy the game for myself, even though I didn't even have the console that was needed to play it. I wasn't really a gamer myself, either. The last console I had owned—that I  _still_  own, in fact—is a Nintendo 64 (that still works after all these years, surprisingly.)

I first heard about The Last Guardian itself through my best friend, and then I'd started out by watching gameplays on youtube. I thought that I would never actually be able to play the game myself since I didn't have a PS4, but then I thought...why don't I just buy one? I have a job, so I have enough money to live off of and some extra for fun things.

But buy an entire console just for one game? It was crazy, but I told myself that I wouldn't be buying it just for The Last Guardian; there were probably a ton of other games out there that I would play, as well. What they were exactly I didn't know, but I knew that I just  _had_  to try playing The Last Guardian for myself. I could also kill some time whenever I was bored at home since I didn't have much to do in my free time. Maybe this would end up changing my life for the better...

It was a game that had been in development for a very long time and had gotten canceled numerous other times. What was even crazier than buying a console for only one game was that I had never even played the ones before it—ICO and Shadow of the Colossus. I didn't even know what they were about, or if they were connected to The Last Guardian in some way!

I had been playing the game for the first time a month after its release on December 6th, 2016. I ordered both the PS4 and the game at once online. When they finally arrived, I was ecstatic, immediately setting everything up in my cozy little apartment. I even had to unplug my old Nintendo 64, which was actually really sad since I'd had it for so long.

But when I had the PS4 controller in my hands...I nearly started crying. A month after simply watching videos, looking at fanart and blogging screenshots and gifs...I was actually,  _really_  playing The Last Guardian for myself!

It was storming outside, the perfect time to be snuggled up on the couch playing a game. The title screen appeared with the glowing green shield that I always saw at the beginning of playthroughs. Glancing at the clock on the wall above the TV, it was six. I was in my pajamas and I could fall right asleep if I wanted, but sleep was the last thing on my mind.

I was ready for the greatest game of 2016...maybe even of all time!

The words "press any button" came up and I did so, my hands almost shaking in excitement.

xxxx

My excitement did not last long.

 _Go LEFT!_  I screamed quietly to myself at Trico. I wasn't even that far into the game and was already having trouble with the giant bird-dog. I had known about the finicky controls by watching videos of youtubers playing, but I never knew that they would be  _this_  bad! The stupid camera was all over the place, getting stuck in areas where it shouldn't have until the only thing I could do was throw my character over a cliff in order to restart and get  _un_  stuck.

What a waste...I'd thought that actually playing the game myself would be fun and different than simply watching others play it, but I was wrong. The bad reviews were right; I should have listened to them! I'd gone out of my way to get my own Playstation, but it wasn't even worth it!

Just goes to show that hype can either sell a game or ruin a game.

On the TV screen, Trico was sitting down in a grassy field with pillars on either side, trees blowing in the wind that whipped through his feathers and caused them to be blown this way and that. The boy—the main character who didn't even have a name—was standing directly in front of the giant animal, waiting for me to start moving the controls again.

"Are you going to listen to me this time?" I mumbled to Trico. As if he could hear me, the cat-dog-bird let out a groan and shook his head in response, moving from his sitting position so that he was lying down.

In less than seconds, he was sound asleep, leaving the boy to wander aimlessly around the field. I had to admit that the graphics were absolutely beautiful. The details on Trico and the surrounding areas were stunning! A pretty game did not make a  _great_  game, however. Not even Trico's cuteness could make up for that.

"Stupid dog thing," I grumbled in frustration. Trico snorted in his sleep as if he'd heard me through the screen.

I wondered if Trico's controls had to do with a buggy AI, or if the creators had made him stubborn on purpose to make it seem like he was a real animal that didn't always listen. I'd never owned a dog or a cat before (though my place actually allowed them as long as they were small) so I wouldn't know. It was just me by myself in a lonely little apartment complex, going about my normal routine every day until I had decided to try something new—something that ended up being just as boring and frustrating as my life itself.

I sighed, getting up from the couch to go and turn off the console.

What I didn't know then was that I probably should have waited for the storm outside to end before trying to touch anything. The moment my hand rested on the Playstation, lightning flashed from outside and before I knew what was happening, I felt a rush of intense energy surge right through me. I didn't even have time to scream!

Then everything went black.

xxxx

I jolted awake, my vision blurry. Rubbing my eyes until I could see clearly, it took a moment or two to realize that I was not in my apartment. It was cold and dark, and there was a hard surface beneath me that confirmed I wasn't where I was supposed to be. Blinking, I tried the best I could to make sense of my surroundings. I was in some kind of stupor, so it took a few moments for the blurriness to go away and for my head to clear itself of its drowsy confusion.

A cave...I was in a cave...?

Wait...the game! I was playing The Last Guardian! I'd gotten up to turn it off and then...then? I couldn't remember anything after that besides waking up in the cave.

Groaning, I began to move. My arm twitched and I turned my head in a sluggish motion.

You can imagine my shock when I was met with the sight of a certain gigantic creature resting right next to me.

...Trico?!

I shrieked, jumping backwards. How...how was this even possible?! There was the giant bird dog sleeping right in front of me, no longer on a TV screen! I was in the cave where the boy had first woken up in the game! I glanced wildly this way and that, assessing my surroundings. When I was able to get my thoughts in order (somewhat) the first thing I noticed was just how... _life like_  everything looked.

The Last Guardian was a  _game._  It was animated; it wasn't  _real._

 _How did I even get here?_  I thought as rationally as I could back to the last thing I remembered. I thought and thought until my brain finally recalled the scene I remembered last from the game—Trico's stubborn behavior in the field before I had given up and tried to turn off the TV.

Had lightning from the storm somehow...hit the PS4 as I tried to turn it off? That was impossible! This entire situation was impossible! I had to be dreaming!

I pinched myself, and I was surprised to find that I could actually feel the sharp sensation. In a dream, you weren't supposed to feel anything.

It had taken me awhile, but another realization struck me.

I was still myself, but...I was no longer in my pajamas that I'd been wearing before this whole situation happened. Instead, I was wearing black and white, robe-like clothing with a familiar orange t-shirt underneath.

I was still a girl, but another shock came along when I realized that I wasn't twenty five years old anymore. I was little, but at least I wasn't a little boy like the main character was. Looking at my arms, I could also see that along with being trapped in a video game, even the tattoos—or 'peculiar markings' as the boy had called them—were there, too. I was even barefoot, much to my dismay; my feet were freezing and there were no socks or shoes in sight.

Though I hadn't finished the game myself yet, I knew how it ended because of all the videos I'd watched.

It was awkward knowing that Trico had hacked me out of his stomach in a pile of green goo, and I shivered slightly in disgust.

The awkwardness was soon broken, however, when the giant animal suddenly jolted awake just as I had, its eyes wide and flashing pink.

This only made my shock worse. The game was playing itself out—me waking up in an unknown cave, Trico knocked out next to me and then the giant creature surging awake. The only thing that I realized was missing was the narration of the boy as an older man. I hadn't heard a voice in the background, much to my relief...maybe I wasn't so crazy after all.

Trico screeched directly into my face at such a loud volume that my ears started ringing, causing me to fall backwards and hit my head on the large chain that he was hooked up to.

"Arrgh!" I cried, reaching upward to protect myself from further harm.

"Okay, okay! I'm sorry I called you stupid!" I tried to reason, referring to when I was still in the real world and had called Trico stupid as I was playing.

I shook myself out of it as quick as I could, stumbling over the chain until I was a good distance away from the snarling animal.

He tried to stand but soon yelped in pain with what I knew was a spear stuck in his leg. Remembering the walkthroughs, the boy had to go and pull the spear out. My heart thudding, I knew that  _I_  had to do the same and what came after: I was going to get knocked out by Trico kicking me!

Maybe there was a way I could avoid it? I didn't want to find out, but I wondered if I could somehow change the course of events in my favor. Maybe I could possibly...avoid getting hit?

Slowly and carefully, I managed to stand back up from where I had fallen over the chain. Trico snorted and growled and I took a step back, raising my hands.

"Easy, easy..." I comforted, though I didn't sound very convincing; my voice was shaking like a leaf on the wind. Trico turned his head away from me and then back, his eyes flashing in pain and anger. For a second, I had to marvel at just how  _gigantic_  he was. I was just an ant compared to him! There was no way I was going to pull this off without getting crushed!

But I had to. If I didn't go forward, the game probably wouldn't, either. I would be stuck in the cave with a huge animal for possibly the rest of my life, and that didn't sound very appealing.

Taking a deep breath, I began to inch forward. Trico growled and I made sure to keep a good distance away from his face, moving towards his back leg where the arrow was stuck. Closing my eyes, I climbed on top of his wounded leg like the boy was supposed to do, hanging on for dear life as Trico squirmed to try and get me off.

"I just want to help," I assured him calmly, though I was anything  _but_  calm. My voice was still shaking and my heart was beating so fast that I feared it would burst out of my chest!

Trico seemed to understand, staying still and allowing me to grab hold of the spear with both of my hands.

I pulled with all the strength I had and the spear came free—

But with a cost. Like I had known he would, Trico yelped and kicked me right in the face, sending me flying backwards until the back of my head hit the cave wall.

I hit the ground with a thud, every bone in my body crying out in pain. I tried to get up, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't. My vision growing hazy, I fell limply back to the ground until everything faded away and I slipped into the peaceful bliss of unconsciousness.

I could only hope that when I woke again, I would be safe and sound back in my apartment where I would think it had only been a nightmare.

 


	2. Chapter 2

Groaning, I twitched in my sleep. My muscles, sore from having been hit by Trico's foot, moved slowly as my eyes opened bit by bit and I regained consciousness.

Much to my dismay, I wasn't back in my apartment like I had hoped I would be, but...I was still stuck in the cave with Trico, and it was night now with the sound of crickets in the air.

I shivered, chills rushing through me. It was so cold and there was nothing I could do to keep warm, except maybe try to use Trico as a blanket. But the giant didn't want to have anything to do with me. He was still chained up and I also knew that he was still hurt with one more spear in his shoulder.

I had to think of something and soon. If I just stayed here, was there a possibility that I could... _die?_  Though the game was real now and I was inside, was there a chance that I would just come back like the main character always did after it was game over? I didn't want to find out, and there was only one way to keep moving forward.

Recalling the game's events, I knew the next step: getting food for Trico.

The blue barrels popped into my mind. Glancing up, I could already see one of the barrels sitting on a stone ledge, glowing brightly in the dark. Trico turned his head and eyed me cautiously as I started to move.

"It's alright," I said softly, almost in a whisper. "I know you're hungry. I'm just going to get you a snack."

It was then that I realized how... _young_  I sounded. My voice had changed to fit my new, younger body, and I wasn't sure how I felt about that. I was twenty five—an adult! Maybe I was still a child at heart, but not  _literally._

It was weird and I didn't like it. I wished that I had a mirror to fully see what I looked like now, but I knew that there was only one mirror in the game—the one that was used to control the lightning in Trico's tail.

I attempted to get up, but soon fell back down as every bone in my little body screamed in agony from being tossed into the cave wall. I had pinched myself earlier to see if I was dreaming and I wasn't—so that meant I could feel pain, and a lot of it.

I had to remind myself that the game was real now.

Real.  _Realistic._  I couldn't think about it as a game anymore; I had to be extra careful and take precautions in order to avoid hurting myself...or worse.

I stayed in place, frozen in complete pain for a few minutes until I heard Trico whine. He looked at me from across the cave, his eyes glowing white in the dark. In the start of the game when I had actually been playing, I'd helped Trico right away, pulling the spears out as soon as possible.

Now it had been awhile, and it seemed as though the giant's eyes were pleading, asking desperately for help.

That was enough to get me to try again. Trico himself was real now too, and he could most likely feel pain as well; he wasn't just a programmed AI anymore but a live, breathing animal.

Surprisingly, it didn't hurt as much the second time around as I attempted once again to get up. My arms still burned as I tried to move, but I told myself that Trico was probably in even more pain than I was, what with that extra spear stuck in his shoulder.

"One barrel of toothpaste coming right up," I said once I finally managed to get up on two feet.

My best friend, the first person who had told me about The Last Guardian, had always said that she thought the barrels looked like they had toothpaste in them.

But who knew what the barrels were really made of? Children were the first thought that came to my mind with how the Tricos had gathered and then put them into the bird feeder things at the end. No one really knew for sure, though; it was all speculation until the creators revealed what the energy was themselves.

Slowly, I took my first step forward. The small patches of grass inside the cave soothed my sore feet, and I breathed in deeply to avoid any further panicking that was sure to happen.

I made my way towards the stone platform where the first barrel was located, and reached my sore arms up so I could pull myself forward and onto the top. Nearly stumbling, I managed to regain my balance in time to stop myself from tumbling over the edge.

 _Not too bad,_  I thought, letting out a sigh of relief. The barrel was right in front of me now, so all I had to do was bend over to pick it up. Peeking over the edge, I dropped the barrel onto the cave floor, soon after following suit by jumping down myself.

Trico growled as I moved closer to him again, his eyes flashing pink.

"It's okay," I assured the creature gently once more, walking towards his giant form cautiously. He didn't screech at me like the last time, for which I was grateful. Instead, he caught sight of the barrel in my hands, his expression growing more curious and longing.

I dropped the barrel just close enough to where Trico would be able to reach it. The giant bird-dog glanced down at his treat, then back up at me. His expression turned into what could only be described as a frown, and it was then that I got the message; he didn't want me to be standing in front of him while he ate.

Sighing, I took one step back and then another until I was nicely hidden behind what seemed like a broken stone wall. Peering behind it, I watched Trico as he bent his head down to pick up the barrel. Soon enough, he chomped down on the object, chewing loudly until it disappeared into his stomach.

"Now for the second barrel," I whispered to myself. There were three, and Trico had already eaten the first.

Clambering back over the stone wall to the left, I picked up the second barrel, repeating the first steps I had taken to retrieve the first. It didn't take long, simply tossing the barrel over the edge and jumping back down.

Trico snorted as I moved closer to him, half of his attention on me and half of his attention on the glowing blue food. I dropped the barrel the nearest to him that I could in a far enough position away where I would be safe in case he tried to snap at me. Just to see what would happen, I remained in place this time instead of going back to hide behind the broken stone wall, and Trico didn't seem to mind too much. He glanced down at the barrel, his nose twitching as he sniffed. Then to my delight, he actually bent his head down to snatch it up!

In one gulp, the tasty treat was gone. Trico's neck feathers puffed up, his ears following suit as they perked forward.

"Want some more?" I questioned softly, knowing that there was still one last barrel left for the beast to eat.

Going back over to the stone platforms, I walked to the left corner, reaching up to pull the lever that would open the gate to get the third and last barrel. It was located on top of a shelf, which I thankfully had no problems reaching. Throwing the treat over the ledge like the other two, I carefully made my way back down until I was once again on the cave floor.

Dropping the barrel close enough to the bird-dog so he could reach it, I moved away out of common courtesy so he wouldn't have to worry about me being close by. While he hadn't minded when I had set the second barrel down, I didn't want to be annoying—the last thing I wanted was to get on Trico's bad side.

I went to stand a good distance away.  _Stand_  because I didn't want to get my robe-like clothes any more dirty than they already were, and who knew what kind of bugs were here with us in the cave? Crickets I didn't mind since you only heard and rarely saw them, but I didn't want to know what other kinds there were. The salamanders hadn't made an appearance yet, but I knew they had to be somewhere.

I just stood there contemplating what to do next. Well...I already  _knew_  what to do next, but I was hesitant—I was going to get knocked out again by Trico flailing too much when I pulled the last spear out of his shoulder! How much thrashing around could I take in one night? Not very much; I wasn't invincible like the boy in the game had seemingly been every time he was pushed around or fell from unimaginable heights.

I watched the feathered giant from where I stood, and he let out a pained whine, glancing back over at me. His ears were neutral, neither up or down, and his eyes were still glowing white. My heart fluttered, feeling sorry for the poor thing. He was asking for my help again, but he was still just as nervous around me as I was around him.

The cave was truly 'dank' as the older man had described it. I didn't want to be stuck here all night, but I also didn't want to get a concussion from being kicked again! What was I going to do? Trico continued to watch me from a distance and I watched him, a staring contest ensuing.

"If I promise to pull the spear out, will you promise not to kick me?" I asked as if the creature could understand me. In a way, he answered by letting out a snort. He looked back at his shoulder, another pained whine escaping.

I let out a sigh of defeat. I moved one foot in front of the other until I was standing in front of Trico yet again. His eyes changed from white to pink, a sign of aggressive behavior; they also turned pink when he was afraid of the glass eyes that had to be destroyed throughout the game.

 _You still don't like me even after all those treats I gave you?_  I thought in annoyance. In the game, while he had been stubborn, he had seemed more trustworthy at least.

"Hold still," I warned as I managed to pull myself onto his body. He had a blood stain from the first spear on his leg, and I made a mental note to wipe it off later (but not with my hands...I'd have to find something else)

Closing my eyes, I gripped the spear in his right shoulder with both of my hands. Trico yelped, struggling to throw me off. I held on with all my might, using all the strength I had left to yank it out of his shoulder.

 _You broke your promise,_ I thought in a daze before blacking out as I was thrown harshly off of Trico's body, landing hard back onto the ground.

...

I could feel something lightly sniffing me as I began to wake. It tickled!

When I finally opened my eyes, I was instantly distracted from my pounding headache when I saw the partly-masked face of the beast staring right at me.


	3. Chapter 3

I just stared back at the giant, completely transfixed by how  _huge_  he really was. I was still in shock from getting kicked for a second time, so I couldn't really move. In the game, the boy bad gotten back up with no problem and had introduced himself to Trico. In real life now, my entire body was on fire from the abuse that it had taken.

I couldn't even speak when Trico lowered his head towards me. I wanted to scream, but nothing came out. I just watched as he continued to nuzzle me, somewhat grateful for the gentle and loving contact.

He still had his collar on that kept him attached to the chain, so he wouldn't be able to leave unless I got up. We both wouldn't, so it was then that I made an attempt to at least move.

The attempt was unsuccessful when my arms, too stiff to even try and lift them up, caused me to fall in a heap back to the ground.

Trico whined, staring at me with a 'concerned' expression, if that was even possible. He sat down on his hind legs, scratching his neck with a claw just as a dog would. Then the creature nuzzled me once more as if he was encouraging me to try again.

 _Nice to know you care,_  I thought aimlessly. It was hard to think about anything at all with the way my head was pounding; I was sure that I had gained some type of head injury from being kicked around so much by a gigantic foot. Luckily though, I didn't feel anything wet or oozing which meant that I hadn't cracked it open (by some miracle.)

I noticed that I was being tickled by the beast again. If he truly was worried about my condition (as if he knew that he was the one who caused me to get hurt) or he was just impatient and wanted to get started on the long journey ahead, it was hard to tell.

I couldn't help but smile regardless, and I realized that it was the first time I had actually smiled since getting stuck in the Last Guardian world. If there was any hope of getting back to  _my_  own world, I had to get up!

Trico let out an excited yip-like sound, only deeper. And loud—his 'voice' still hurt my ears, especially when he was so close to me. When I was finally able to use my burning arms to push myself up, I made a pitiful cry of surprise when Trico decided to grab me by the scruff of my neck, using my robe's collar. He placed me gently as he could back onto solid ground and I nearly toppled over again, but managed to keep my balance.

"Thanks," I muttered, relieved that my voice had returned.

I froze. I was now standing directly in front of the giant, and he was no longer hurt by the spears that had kept him tied to the floor in a lying down position. In a  _standing_  position, he was even bigger than I had expected! If you're short and know anyone who's taller that always towers over you, imagine them...only ten times taller than they already are.

"You're huge. No offense," I told him, keeping an eye on where and how he was moving. Trico was downright adorable, yes—but he was also a gigantic and powerful being that could crush you in two seconds flat.

Once I was over (not really) the fact that he was so big, my eyes caught sight of the collar around his neck that was made to fit his enormous size.

"Want me to get that off?" I asked, remembering how the boy had to climb up onto Trico to release it by using the lever.

How  _I_  had to climb up on Trico to remove the collar. The dog-bird scratched himself in a sitting position, feathers dropping down from his body.

"I'll take that as a yes," I said, readying myself to perform the needed task.

Gulping, I reached a hand out. Trico held still, making my job surprisingly easier. He watched me carefully as my hand crept ever closer.

My hand made contact.

I realized that this was the first time I had pet him. Actually pet him, not just climb over him to pull a spear or two out. His feathers were so soft and smooth, like silk. They felt exactly like a real bird's feather! I stayed in place for a moment, mesmerized by just the feeling of his feathers alone.

 _Incredible,_  I couldn't help but think. I was actually  _petting_  Trico! The fangirl in me nearly squealed in delight, but I somehow managed to remain composed. I had to free Trico from his prison!

Twisting my hand around his feathers, I did my best to copy what the boy had done to climb up the giant's body whenever he needed to. It was harder than I expected, having to use what little strength I had to pull myself up; almost like rock climbing.

Soon enough, I found myself standing on top of Trico's back. Did I mention I'm afraid of heights? It wasn't too bad, but I was definitely going to have a lot of 'fun' when it came to the rest of the game's leaping and tight rope walking.

I didn't need to think about that right now; I'd cross that bridge when we came to it.

The lever was in plain sight. I moved over to it and took hold, forcing it downwards the best that I could with my still-aching arms. The collar released at last, and Trico was finally free!

"Is that better?" I asked, just the same as the boy would have.

All it took was yet another scratch for the helmet that Trico wore to slide off his face.

Normally, the boy would simply leap off of Trico. But it was still pretty high up for me, especially in the real world; I couldn't just blindly trust that I would land safely on two feet without a scratch. No—I had to make my way back down Trico in a more reasonable manner to avoid hurting myself further. It was a miracle that I had made it so far, and there was still the entire journey ahead of us.

Once I was safe on two feet again, I took note of the fact that it was daytime now, which meant I had been knocked out through the whole night. I was distracted from my thoughts when Trico snorted and bent his head down, nudging me to get my attention.

 _So that's what you look like! Pleased to meet you, Trico!_  I thought to myself, remembering the boy's delight in seeing the creature's true self without the helmet for the first time.

A simple 'hello' was all I managed to get out, my mind clouding over in shock once more that Trico was actually here. He was  _real,_  and I was actually  _petting_  him!

"Nice to finally meet you," I couldn't help but laugh as he let out a happy chirp. "You're  _real_  and I'm  _here!"_

Though he probably couldn't understand me, it helped to get some validation by talking to him. I was beginning to accept the fact that I had somehow been sucked into a video game, no matter how crazy it was. Slowly but surely, I was beginning to accept my fate, and that the only way out was most likely by finishing the game.

Somehow, some way, I was going to get back home!

"Alright, buddy. Let's go," I said with new determination, heading towards the tunnel pathway that was ahead of us where I knew Trico would find some more barrels on top of the ledges with holes in them. I started forward at a quick pace. When I was a ways ahead of Trico, I turned to see if he was still following me...

Which he wasn't.

He was busy sniffing the chain that had held him captive, lightly pawing at the thing with his talons in a curious motion.

"Trico!" I called from my spot. He didn't budge, continuing to paw at the chain.

"Come!" I shouted. "Here, boy!" If he even  _was_  a boy. Most fans of the game didn't even know what gender he was, but I was sticking with a boy since the man had called him a "he" at some point in his narration, and also because he was referred to as a "he" and "him" in the achievement section where you could complete a variety of different tasks.

He still wouldn't budge. I frowned, frustration beginning to seep in. In the game, all I had to do was press a button to call him and he would come...most of the time. Now he had his own free will; he wouldn't bend to my every need so easily and even more extra patience would be required if I wanted to get through this.

"Treat! Barrels!" I shouted again to see if it would work. Trico rumbled, going about his business. If the words treat or barrels wouldn't work...maybe another word would? I  _had_  called the barrels by another name.

"Toothpaste!" I shouted once more. To my relief, Trico's attention was brought away from the chain and to the sound of my voice. So now he associated the word "toothpaste" with the barrels; great. I'd have to keep that in mind.

He stopped clawing at the chain, finally realizing that he seemed to be free. Once I was sure that he was following me, I turned around and made my way towards the end of the tunnel. The wall with the ledge came into view, and I saw the holes that had the barrels hidden away inside them. The blue butterflies that I knew so well fluttered this way and that among the grass, strongly attracted to the energy substance inside the barrels.

Thankfully, I didn't have to direct Trico to move next to the ledge so I could climb up him and onto that. He was already trying to get the barrels that sat on top, pawing at them like he had pawed at the chain. I took a handful of feathers and climbed up his body carefully as I could so I wouldn't fall until I was perched on the ledge. Trico's face was gigantic now that I was standing right in front of him. He eyed me curiously, his attention then turning towards the barrels that he couldn't reach without my help.

 _You really are just a giant cat,_  I thought in amusement. He was just so  _cute!_  He actually  _did_  manage to get one of the barrels to fall to the ground, and he chomped it up just as quickly as it had fallen. His action had made another barrel visible in the gap, so I bent down to grab it. Trico sniffed me, sitting down and waiting for me to toss it to him. The barrels were fairly light since all they had in them was the blue energy stuff, so I was able to simply drop it down to the grass below.

"Enjoy," I said, turning my own attention towards the gap that had white smoke coming out of it. There was a tunnel I knew I had to climb through, which I was reluctant to do. Me? Crawl through a  _tunnel?_  Who knew what was inside? Probably things like  _spiders,_  one of my worst fears...but I reminded myself that it was probably too cold for anything to be living inside of it.

Taking a deep breath, I got down onto my knees and started to crawl. It was dark inside save for the white smoke that filtered through, so it wasn't too bad. The hard, rocky surface hurt my arms and legs as I moved forward, but I couldn't turn back now. I had to get the mirror!

It seemed like forever before I was able to get up from my crawling form, reaching the crevice that I had to squeeze through. I was almost blinded by the blue, shining room that came into view at last. It was so  _bright_  like snow on the mountain when the sun hit!

And it was  _freezing_  in here! I was shivering like no tomorrow already, and I was surprised that I was able to see my breath in the form of small, white clouds as I breathed in and out nervously. I could see the circular pool ahead.

While the boy could have roamed endlessly inside until he had discovered the mirror, I knew I had to get out and fast—unless I wanted to die of hypothermia. Wasting no time, I ran to where the mirror was located on the body-shaped statue that was in a lying down position.

Now that I thought about it,  _where_  exactly was the boy if I was here in his place? Was he back in my apartment? I hoped he was alright if that was the case, and my second thought was that he better not touch any of my things!

It would probably be even more strange for him; getting tossed into an entirely different timeline. Everything would be just as foreign to him as it was to me. I didn't even know if that's  _really_  what happened! I had to concentrate on the task at hand before I thought of anything more that would only make my brain hurt worse.

I bent down to pick up the mirror from its spot in the circle, and it didn't illuminate right away when in was in my hands. Wait a second...just  _how_  was I going to activate it? I could no longer press a simple button to get it to shine wherever I needed it to; this was real life now, and I had to figure out a way to make it illuminate myself. There were no buttons anywhere except for the small handle that I could use to hold it.

But I was too cold in the shining blue room, so I would have to figure it out later. One step at a time...

I crawled back through the tunnel until I was outside with Trico. He had been resting, snoozing away the time I had been getting the mirror. Sluggishly, he got up on all fours.

Like I had expected, the mirror began to glow green, which instantly caught Trico's attention. His eyes flashed erratically in an assortment of different colors that ranged from pink to yellow to green. When they returned to normal, I also noticed that one of the tattoos on the back of my hand was...glowing?

Glowing  _white._

I couldn't remember that happening in the game...

What did it mean?


	4. Chapter 4

It took a few moments, but the glow on the back of my hand slowly faded away. I sighed in relief, thankful that it hadn't been permanent along with the tattoos; I wouldn't have known what to do or what it meant otherwise. Maybe an answer would come later? The only way to find out was by pushing onward.

Trico sniffed the green, glowing mirror in my other hand, reminding me that I faced yet another challenge: just  _how_  was I going to activate it? All the boy had to do was lift an arm, point it at something, and the mirror would handle the rest, directing Trico's tail towards whatever needed to be blown up (basically) at the time.

The dog bird looked at me like he was waiting for me to do something, as if it was  _his_  turn to be impatient.

"Alright, alright," I gave in. It seemed that he already knew what the mirror was capable of. After it had made a connection with his eyes in particular, that didn't surprise me. "I'll see what I can do..."

Scanning my surroundings for something I could aim the mirror at, I couldn't really find anything except for a stone wall ahead. There was another, bigger hole in the stone where a shiny blue barrel had made a home for itself.

_That will have to do,_  I thought, raising the mirror to aim right in the middle of the wall, but not close enough where it would be able to hit the barrel (I didn't want to destroy Trico's food!)

I waited with my arm raised...and waited...

And waited.

Nothing happened.

_Aw come on, it worked for the kid,_  I thought, impatient.

I brought the mirror back down so I could inspect it more closely. Since Trico had made eye contact with the mysterious object, it was glowing green, which meant that it was  _on,_  at least. I just had to figure out how to make it explode things...

But  _how_  exactly?

"Shine...glow...blow something up...just do  _something!"_  I had to keep myself from shouting. I didn't need this! All I had wanted was to play The Last Guardian on my PS4 in peace; then I just  _had_  to go and literally get sucked into it.

Before I knew what was happening, everything seemed to slow down more than it already was. My vision became blurry, and I didn't realize that I was on the verge of having a full-blown panic attack until my breathing became irregular.

Doing my best to keep hold of the mirror so it wouldn't fall to the ground from the ledge I was still standing on, I brought a hand to my chest in an attempt to calm myself down before things got even worse. I rarely had panic attacks like this, but when something managed to get me really worked up, they were always a possibility...and I hated it.

Something soft nudged my arm. Even in all my panic, I was still just barely able to glance to the left to see that a certain, giant bird creature had come up right next to me. I looked away, ashamed that Trico was seeing me like this even though he probably didn't care.

I was proven wrong, however, when he nudged himself closer against me so that my arm was fully resting on his big nose. Reluctantly, I looked back at him. He had every ounce of his attention directly on me, watching intently as if he was checking to make sure that I was alright.

I was now...kind of. Slowly but surely, I gripped my hand tighter around Trico's face. My panic started to fade until it was gone at last, and it was then that I realized something was finally happening with the mirror.

The mirror flickered in my hand. It actually  _flickered!_

Hope rising, I aimed it near the hole where the barrel was located.

**_ZAP!_**  Trico had raised his tail and had fired it exactly where I'd aimed the mirror! A jolt of lightning sprouted from the end of his tail, and I watched with amazement and glee (oddly enough) as the lightning exploded onto its desired target. A part of the stone wall actually crumbled, leaving me surprised. In the game when I had tried pointing the mirror at things made of stone, nothing happened. Now there was a possibility that the lightning could destroy what was previously thought to be indestructible!

Quickly, I brought the mirror down to my side so it wouldn't cause any further damage. Trico rumbled and turned his attention back towards me, bringing himself closer once more so that I could hold his face again.

"Good boy," I praised, unable to hide a small smile. "Thank you."

The mirror flickered in my hand again, as if it had 'heard' my comment. Or maybe the correct word was 'feel...' The mirror had finally activated after Trico had calmed me down from my panic attack. Even now in the very beginning of the game, a bond was forming between us.

So the mirror would only illuminate based on my bond with Trico and how strong it was? That was a new factor, but it didn't seem so hard now that I knew the gist of what I had to do. Trico let out a light growl, turning his head towards the remaining barrel that we—or I—had nearly destroyed. Thankfully, the 'toothpaste' was still there, perfectly unharmed.

He was close enough to the second ledge so I could carefully climb up his head and over to the other side.

I didn't pick up the barrel right away to give it to him. Instead, I was now focused on a new issue at hand: my growling stomach. I hadn't eaten since the night before when I had first arrived in this world, and my stomach was now paying the price. I couldn't remember the boy ever eating in the game.

There was nothing to eat where we were now except for the barrel that I was going to feed Trico—that I had been  _thinking_  about feeding Trico. With everything that had happened, I hadn't had time to notice my own hunger until now...and I was  _starving._

Maybe until I found something else to eat, the barrel would be satisfying enough? Only one way to find out.

I took a finger and swiped it around the edges where you could see the blue energy wrapped around the barrel in circles. It was strongly enough contained so the energy wouldn't seep out, but I was able to wipe my finger across it. Blue energy was sitting on the tip of my finger now. Trico watched me longingly, practically begging for me to toss the remains of the barrel down to him.

"Just a second," I said, eyeing the blue stuff on my finger. Was it safe? I thought about the theory that the barrels were made of kids. Was it even true? If that was the case, then I would technically be performing an act of cannibalism—and the idea made me sick.

But I had to eat  _something._  I told myself that it was okay, that no one knew for sure what the barrels were  _really_  made of. Perhaps I would actually find out later since the game was real but for now, ignorance was bliss and I liked it that way.

I put my finger into my mouth and almost gagged when I tasted the new substance. But wait...it actually wasn't that bad! It tasted like...like...

Sugar.

The energy tasted like regular  _sugar_  from my world! There was no way that something made out of children would taste like  _sugar_  of all things. It was just the reward that the Master of the Valley shot out for the Tricos when they brought the kids to it.

"No wonder you guys like this stuff so much," I almost laughed, talking with my mouth full. I swallowed, and a weird feeling suddenly swept through me. It was weird, but it was...nice at the same time. It felt wonderful, like I had just taken a real nap (not one where I had been knocked out.)

I felt re-energized, and it was probably how Trico himself felt as well whenever I fed him the barrels.

"Alright, here you go," I said once I had my fill, dropping the barrel down to the grassy floor. Trico instantly bent down to snatch it up, and it was gone just as quick. When he lifted his head again close to the ledge, I stepped off and onto his nose, then crawled over his head to his back.

"Onward!" I said, pointing in the opposite direction where he was facing that led back to where we had first woken up.

Trico simply bent his head down to sniff the spot where I had thrown the barrel, which he had already eaten. It was gone, but he wanted more. Since tasting the blue energy, I finally knew why it was so addictive.

"I don't have more right now, but there will be later," I promised. There were barrels all over the game, and the next ones were in the little pond area with the waterfall, which I knew was close by. We just had to get past the wooden wall that I had to get Trico to break with his lightning. To do that, I had to get Trico to move.

And he wasn't moving. He was just sniffing the area we were in now, searching for said barrels.

"Mush!" I ordered albeit jokingly. Maybe it was a bad side effect that the barrel had made me so energized...

Trico continued sniffing. Then to my dismay, he sat down on his hind legs, nearly causing me to slide off his back.

_Looks like I'm going to have to lead him there,_  I mused. Grabbing handfuls of feathers, I made my way slowly down the giant beast. I knew the way to the pond from here, so all I had to do was lead Trico back to the cave. Surprisingly, me leaving was apparently something he didn't like, turning his attention away from the ground where he had been searching for another barrel. He didn't want to be alone any more than I did.

Soon, we were back in the cave where we had woken. Trico followed me towards the wooden wall that I knew he had to break with his lightning. I glanced down at the mirror in my left hand, but before I could even think about doing anything, Trico was already trying to claw his way through the wall, looking at me in desperation and letting out some kind of moaning sound.

"I was just about to try using the mirror," I said, sighing and lifting up said mirror. After a few more attempts to try and escape, Trico stopped clawing at the wall and moved out of the way.

I glanced down at the mirror in my hand again.

I concentrated on the time when I had first woken up only hours ago and how scared I had been to find myself trapped inside of a video game, leading to my panic attack just moments ago.

The mirror flickered and my hope rose once more.

I concentrated on the time when I had first met Trico once his helmet had been taken off and how excited I had been. I had finally met a fictional character, something that I had always wished would happen but that I knew never _would_  happen. Yet it  _did_  and I had gotten the once in a lifetime chance to actually  _pet_  Trico!

_**ZAP!**_ Though I was expecting it by now, the lightning strike took me completely by surprise. I had to jump back when it exploded directly from the tip of Trico's tail, the wooden door bursting apart. To avoid being hit by flying debris, I hid behind one of Trico's legs. When the green light from the mirror faded, his tail lowered and the lightning disappeared.

Emerging from my hiding spot, I could see that the wooden door was completely... _gone._  I'd done it again! I'd gotten the mirror and Trico's tail to work! The pathway that led to the pond was just ahead and I took my first steps forward, Trico following close behind.

Our bond was just beginning to form, but as long as my bond with the beast was a strong one, the mirror would keep on working.


	5. Chapter 5

_I had heard of these great man-eating beasts many times from the elder. Yet in spite of the terrifying tales, I felt no fear. None at all..._

The older man's narration echoed through my mind as Trico and I made our way across the rocky pathway that led to the pond. I wished I was as fearless as the boy had been; I wasn't so much afraid of Trico, but my surroundings. I had to focus all my attention ahead to not look down, or else there would be trouble. It was chilly with white mist swirling this way and that, and the hard surface wasn't making my bare feet feel any better. The sound of rushing water could be heard up ahead as well, which meant that we were close to our next destination.

I wondered how things were going back in the real world, if things were going at all. Maybe during this whole situation, time had stopped in my world and when I got back, it would be like I had never even left...I hoped it would be that way, at least. I didn't want anyone like my parents worrying about me, especially my best friend.

My thoughts were interrupted when I came across a gap in the path. Normally, the boy would have jumped right over, but me? Jumping when there was a chance I could accidentally fall who knew how many stories below? No way; I did the logical thing and happily lowered myself to the rocky surface, picking myself back up on the other side of the ledge.

I continued on my way, Trico following close behind until we came upon the pots that blocked us from going any further. I couldn't just jump across them like the boy simply would have; there was too much of a risk that they would topple over and bring me down with them.

_Nothing a little lightning can't fix,_  I thought, grinning to myself. Trico made a grumbling sound from behind me as I raised the mirror.

To my delight, the mirror flickered like it had the first time, and soon the pots were taken care of with a big  **ZAP.**

I guessed that the mirror must have sensed my faith in Trico and his power, thus strengthening our bond bit by bit.

xxxx

We were finally at the pond with the waterfall!

"Wow," I whispered, staring at the scenery ahead. The water was a darkish green so I couldn't see the bottom, but it was even more beautiful than it had been in the game! The mini waterfall was straight ahead too, a patch of sunlight shimmering down onto the grass around it. Frogs could be heard here and there. Trico snorted and huffed from behind me, waiting for something to happen.

Well, that 'something' sure wasn't going to be me diving headfirst into the water. I glanced left and right until I caught sight of an easier route along the edges of the rocky, moss-covered cave wall to the left. I knew practically everything about the game, but I hadn't known that there was another pathway you could take besides jumping into the water! Most playthroughs I'd watched only had the boy jump right in without a care as I had made him do when I first started playing the game. But I wasn't the boy and I hated heights, so I was thrilled to have found another way down; just goes to show that if you explore an open world game enough, the possibilities of what you could do were endless.

Trico whined, breaking me out of my thoughts—he was worried that I seemed to be leaving him.

I reached the edge where I could go no further, staring longingly out across the water at the next wooden barricade that needed to be broken with Trico's lightning. I didn't want to get wet, but there was no other way!

Reluctantly, I stepped cautiously into the pond, preparing for the worst. Surprisingly, the temperature wasn't that bad—lukewarm like a nice bath. Before going any further, I took the mirror and attached it to the belt-like cloth that kept my robe from falling apart just like the boy did whenever he un-wielded it. I didn't want to lose it somewhere in the water!

Once I was in the middle of the pond, I swam around in a circle to see Trico still hanging nervously over the edge, tilting his head to the side and staring at me with those big, dark puppy dog eyes.

_Why do you have to be so cute?_  I thought, unable to stop a smile from spreading.

"Come on in!" I encouraged, waving a hand as an invitation. "The water's great!"

Trico didn't budge, remaining in place and letting out worried growls as he watched me continue to swim. I had taken swimming lessons as a child and had gone through the courses in P.E. in high school. While I actually loved to swim, I never really got the chance to do it often enough, so my skills were rusty and only limited to treading water and dog paddling.

I reached the stairs where I needed to be at last, which led me right to the wooden door. My robe stuck to me as I got out of the water, making my body feel heavy. Now I was cold, and I didn't even have a towel to keep myself warm! Raising my left arm from behind my back, the mirror illuminated and took care of the rest, using Trico's lightning to its advantage.

"I know you actually  _love_  the water," I told Trico before turning to go into the next room. He simply continued to hang over the edge, grumbling and still reluctant to enter.

_I also know what will get you to come **in**  the water,_ I thought, smiling as blue butterflies swirled around me. Where there were blue butterflies, there were blue barrels!

I soon found myself facing another challenge: the rusty, metal chain that hung from the ceiling. In the game, the boy had no issues at all with climbing it. But how was I, a real human girl, supposed to even dream of doing such a thing? I definitely wasn't a climber. Maybe there was another way around like how I had been able to avoid jumping in the pond? The mossy mountain thing to the right side of me wasn't much help; it was too high and steep to climb up.

The crackling fire that hung on a wall torch was a nice substitute for a towel and helped me get dry, but was useless for anything else. Sighing, I looked back at the chain. The game's creators sure wanted you to have no other choice but to climb the dang thing!

I wrapped one hand around the metal, and then another. Then with all the strength I had, I lifted myself up with a groan. Recalling what the boy had always done when it came to climbing chains, I tried wrapping my feet around it, as well.

Using two hands to pull myself upward, I suddenly found myself right back on the floor. Shaking my head in a daze, I realized that I had fallen on my first try.

And second.

And third.

And fourth.

And fifth.

Until my tenth, when I finally realized that I had to use my feet in order to support my weight, wrapping them around the chain each time I pulled myself up.

Once I was high enough, I leaped from the chain onto the ledge in such pure desperation to get on solid ground that I hadn't noticed  _just_  how high I had been.

My arms were burning by the time I fell in a heap at the top and felt like limp noodles, barely able to pull myself up. My back and behind hurt even worse. I was only twenty five! I wasn't supposed to have back problems yet!

"Oh great ground, how I worship thee," I murmured in relief, kissing the steady floor for good measure. I didn't care how dirty it was!

The crate of barrels that I needed was right next to me now, but I could hardly move, let alone stand. It was so close, yet so far away...I guessed that I should always prepare myself for moments like these from now on; I'd had one too many of them already.

I grunted, pushing myself up onto two feet. I couldn't just lay there—I had to keep going no matter how tired I was if I ever wanted to get home!

It took a few minutes until I was steady on two feet. I was still wobbly and my arms were screaming in fiery pain, but I was able to stand and move forward towards the crate. Mustering whatever strength I had left, I managed to push the wooden box over the edge where it smashed loudly into pieces on the floor, freeing the three barrels that had been stuck inside.

Now I just had to slide  _down_  the chain. Closing my eyes (probably not a good idea) I made a second leap towards the chain and grabbed hold the minute that I felt the metal in my hands. Loosening my grip, I slid down freely until I was back on two feet yet again.

"I did it!" I shouted in excitement and pride to no one in particular, except maybe Trico. He was still stuck on the ledge, afraid to go in the water. I just had to bring the barrels to him, so I picked one up despite my pain and walked back towards the pond stairs.

Trico's eyes glowed yellow when he spotted his favorite treat, and I could already tell that he was starting to actually think about jumping in the water. Dropping the barrel into the pond, I ran back inside the room where I had climbed up the chain for fear of getting swept away by the large wave that Trico would create.

I heard a big  ** _SPLASH_**  from behind me, and wasn't surprised to see that the wave had reached the inside of the room that I had rushed to hide in. Once the water receded, I went to pick up another one of Trico's barrels. He had already eaten the first treat and was waiting for me to return, his eyes still glowing yellow.

Now that my arms weren't as sore and a bit of my strength had returned, I decided to try throwing the barrel to see if the beast would catch it. To my pleasant surprise, he didn't miss the 'toothpaste' when it was right in front of his nose, quickly gobbling it up before it could fall back into the water.

"Nice catch," I commented, returning to the room with the chain to retrieve the very last barrel for him to snatch up.

Taking one last look at the chain and all I had accomplished, I grabbed a handful of feathers on Trico's leg and climbed up to his back so that I wouldn't have to swim to our next destination. Not that I would have been able to, anyway; it was a leap that Trico would have to make himself so we could get out of here.

As if following instinct, Trico prepared himself to jump. Before I could fully process what was going to happen, he pushed himself forward with his hind legs and I found myself hanging on for dear life so I wouldn't fall back in the water!

"A warning would be nice next time you're going to jump," I scolded sarcastically. As if in response, Trico snorted and shook himself to get dry; it looked like he was saying 'no,' so I just rolled my eyes and used his feathers to climb back down to the ground.

Sunlight could be seen coming out of a hole in the middle of the stone wall. It was a hole that only I was big enough to fit through in my new, little body, so I bent down to crawl through.

A green, grassy and pasture-like view met me on the other side. I realized that this was where a cutscene was supposed to happen: the boy would try and get rid of Trico, but the giant beast would keep on following him. All I had to do was the same, so I bent down to say 'goodbye' just as the boy had done.

"Well, this is goodbye," I said in a 'sad' kind of tone. "I must go home to my 'village.' Farewell!"

I had to hold in my laughter, but instantly felt bad when Trico let out a sad chirp. Looking down, my joking mood faded away when I saw that I had to jump down in order to go any further. I glanced left and right, searching for an easier way down, but saw nothing. There was no other way! Even though I didn't want to, I had to jump!

_You can do this!_  I encouraged myself.  _The boy was able to jump down from here without any problems. You can, too._

I took one last look behind me where Trico was still waiting to break loose, then back to the open valley ahead. Then I looked down. The drop didn't seem that bad compared to the others in the game...this would be a cinch!

Done psyching myself, I closed my eyes and dropped to the ground below, surprised when I made it down safely in one piece.

I stood and took a few steps forward, not even needing to look behind me when I heard the wall start to crumble. Trico was going to break out and follow me!

I probably  _should_  have looked; the ground shook and I was nearly knocked off my feet when he almost landed right on me!

Trico ran to the edge of what I knew was the Nest. I picked up the pace to catch up, covering my ears when he let out a great  ** _ROAR._**  Had I not known that the roar came from Trico, I would have thought that it had come from the T-Rex in Jurassic Park. His roar shook the entire valley, leaving me a bit shell shocked. He stood up on his hind legs, pawing desperately at the air with his two front feet, gray feathers flying everywhere.

_We had escaped the dank confines of the cave and emerged into a place the like of which I had never seen,_  the man's voice echoed through my mind again.

"Oh...you can't fly? Are your wings broken?" I couldn't help but quote the boy. It was like when you watched one of your favorite movies with someone; you knew it annoyed them, but you just couldn't help quoting what you knew was going to happen next.

Wind suddenly blew past and ruffled my shoulder-length hair. It was then that I made the connection that we were outside. We were finally  _outside_  and not trapped inside the cave! Birds chirped and there was another waterfall a lot bigger than the one that had been in the pond. I stood close enough to the edge so I could see the entire view, but not close enough in case I accidentally fell over. Trees provided shelter from the mist that shrouded the area, and I almost felt relaxed for the first time since getting sucked into the game.

Trico stared as if he was mesmerized at the looming tower above us—the place I knew we had to reach.

"We don't have to go there, you know," I told Trico, rubbing the feathers on one of his front legs. If we went up there, chaos would erupt. The Master of the Valley would call the other Tricos and they would bring the remaining children to it under mind control. Our Trico would fight them nearly to the death in order to protect his closest friend, and then he and that friend would be separated forever. Or maybe none of that would happen...the game was real now, and so many things could be changed for the better or for the worst. Everything had happened the way it was supposed to so far, but who knew what could go wrong?

Not that I actually  _wanted_  to stay in the game forever; I didn't. Of course I wanted to go back home more than anything. But also more than anything, I didn't want the  _real_  Trico to get hurt. It wasn't just my own well being that I was worried about now.

He lifted himself up, pawing at the air with his talons again and screeching impatiently. He wasn't being mind controlled like the others, but he was acting on instinct to get to the top of the tower—to bring me there like he was originally supposed to. Or maybe he just knew that his species needed help, and the boy (or I) would be able to help him free his kind. He was experiencing freedom for the first time, yet in a way, he was still being controlled. His mind would not be changed.

"We'll get up there, Trico," I promised quietly.

That is...if I could make it past the next challenge...

Walking along the ridge.


	6. Chapter 6

I stood at the edge of the ridge, contemplating my options. It was either stay here at the entrance to the Nest...or walk across. It was either walk across, stay here at the entrance to the Nest...or die.

_Just do it. It'll be over before you know it,_  I told myself.  _Just don't look down._

I looked down and immediately felt queasy when nothing but another waterfall met my gaze. If I fell, I would meet my end in a raging river that had waterfalls surrounding it on either side. How pleasant!

I dared to take a step forward—then I immediately took a step back, wrapping my arms tightly around myself and squeezing my eyes shut.

_This is crazy! I can't do this!_

_But you have to,_  my inner voice pressed. If I didn't do it, then I would never get anywhere.

Trico waited patiently behind me, the cold wind whipping sharply through his feathers. What if the wind made me fall off? It was certainly strong enough to pull off such a feat...

I took another step back.

I couldn't do it! I didn't care if I was going to be stuck at the edge of the Nest forever. It was better than slipping off a rocky ridge and falling to my death.

I jumped when I felt something bump me. It was Trico—he'd bent his head down either to ask for a massage or to try and support me through this new and challenging dilemma.

No matter how scared or upset I was, the cutest cat-dog-bird in the world somehow always managed to make me smile.

"You'll catch me if I fall, right?" I questioned in a murmur, stroking his head. I still couldn't get over just how soft he was. "You'll be right there next to me..."

Trico would be jumping alongside me on the rocky pillars. Whether that was comforting or even more nerve-wracking, I couldn't really tell. The pillars hadn't seemed that stable in the game and had always given me goosebumps since it seemed like Trico would break them at any second as he leaped across. What if they really  _did_  break since it was real life now and Trico ended up getting hurt?

He lifted his head back up, staring at said pillars as if he knew that he had to jump across them and was simply waiting for me to go first.

No pressure!

I moved back towards the edge of the ridge where I would have to step onto the extremely narrow path to get to where we needed to be next.

Then I braced myself and began to tiptoe forward. The short grass was actually soothing on my feet, which I was thankful for; it was nice not having a hard, rocky surface to walk on for once. It didn't help my fear of heights that much though, and it took everything I had to keep myself from looking down.

The shadow of Trico was enough to keep me distracted as he leaped from his previous spot onto the first pillar next to me. I almost panicked when the sound of crumbling rocks reached my ears and feared the worst for my feathered companion, but breathed a sigh of relief when he only let out a somewhat haunting, howling  ** _mooooooooooo._**

_You're not a cow,_  I thought in amusement, resisting the urge to laugh and roll my eyes.  _Stop distracting me!_ But distraction was good. It was what kept me from looking  _down._

Before I knew it, I reached a point where I could go no further unless I grabbed the chain above me.

It was at  _this_  point when I came to the conclusion that I absolutely, positively hated chains with every fiber of my being. I took a deep breath and jumped up, catching onto the chain with both hands. Hanging from a chain wasn't so bad, I guess. It was definitely a lot easier than  _climbing_  one.

Until I reached a gap in the path that left me dangling helplessly in midair.

_Don't look down, don't look down, don't look down, don't look down,_  I repeated in a mantra to myself as I moved bit by bit across the chain. Trico let out another moo and I saw his shadow on the mountain wall leap to the next pillar.

_How in the world are those things secure enough to hold him?_  I had to wonder. Wondering was also good—it kept me from looking down, too.

I dropped down onto the last part of the narrow path when I ran out of chain to grab. It was the smallest piece of ground, so I had no choice but to grab the next part of the chain and get myself across quickly as I could.

At last, I was on solid ground again. I dropped down to my knees to give it a kiss like I had done when I'd managed to climb the chain to reach the crate of barrels at the pond. Not even caring how dirty it was, I made a vow to show the ground just how much I appreciated it every time I made it safely from unfathomable heights.

Trico whined from behind me and I looked back to see him still perched on the last pillar he had to jump from. I moved forward and he followed, launching himself from the top and landing next to me on solid ground himself.

I glanced behind me again at the ridge, hardly believing that I had actually managed to do what I just did. Like climbing the chain, it was all very rewarding and left me feeling like I'd actually accomplished something. A huge wave of relief washed over me now that that part was done and over with, so I led Trico to the next wooden barricade on the right that had to be broken with his lightning.

Lifting the mirror once again, it flickered when I thought of all the other drops and stunts that I would be forced to do. But with Trico, those heights and climbs that had seemed so impossible became just a little more possible so long as he was there.

Lightning shot out of Trico's tail directly at the wooden door, shattering the desired target into a million little pieces. The lightning converged with the stone pillar to the left, causing it to crack and fall. I had to jump back when it landed with a heavy  _thud_  on the floor, creating a bridge that led to the other side. I stepped forward, relieved to have a stable bridge to cross, but almost instantly had to step back; I'd forgotten that it had to fall a second story.

Using the mini stonehenge that sat next to the newly created bridge, I jumped reluctantly so I could cross over.

"Come on, buddy," I called to Trico. He snorted, shaking his head before starting to walk across himself.

We moved together towards the stairs to our right, another wall torch fire crackling pleasantly. I wondered how the fires were able to keep going even after it seemed that this place had been abandoned; maybe the energy that surrounded most of the ruins somehow kept the flames burning? It couldn't be electrical!

The room with the four medium-sized holes came into view as we stepped inside. I giggled to myself, knowing what was coming next. It was one of the most adorable parts of the game, after all!

As I expected, Trico poked his head through the hole on the far right when I ran into the next part of the room. I could see a horizontal opening above, sunlight pouring in freely from the bright sky as I moved closer to the giant. He whined and growled, trying desperately to get to me. I had to  _awwwww_  at his ears and single foot that just barely managed to fit!

"Don't worry, I know what to do," I reassured him, gently patting his head. With that, I ran towards the next set of stairs that I needed to climb until I reached the top. The bridge that we had made with the lightning could be seen down below, just waiting for a certain cat bird to jump from it and back to me.

"Trico!" I called.

Silence.

I peeked over the edge of the platform, but he was nowhere to be seen. He was supposed to come! Did I really have to go back and somehow lead him to the spot where he was supposed to be?

"Trico!" I called again.

Nothing.

I had to stomp my foot like a child having a temper tantrum, frustration getting the better of me. Where  _was_  he?

Then I got an idea.

_**"Tuuuuuuuricoooooo!"**_  I shouted at the top of my lungs.

_There you are._  Breathing a sigh of relief when I finally saw the creature down below where he was supposed to go, I waited for him as he prepared to make a jump from his place on the fallen stone bridge.

This time I actually looked behind me so there wouldn't be a chance of getting crushed as he landed by accident. I ran ahead when he rumbled, pushing himself from below and onto the ledge with me.

"It's been too long...we have a lot to catch up on," I joked.

Trico just snorted in response and we continued on our way.

"Want some more toothpaste?" I asked when we came across the barrel that was hidden under broken pieces of wood. The mirror shone brighter at the word toothpaste and Trico's large tail lifted, clearing the debris so I could bend down to pick up the tasty treat.

I didn't even need to drop it; at this point, Trico was expecting me to throw his snacks to him, and I was expecting him to catch them as he did so well.

_Time for more climbing,_  I thought as we walked down the last set of stairs and back into the room with the four holes that Trico could poke his head out of. Now he was finally with me and didn't have to try and squeeze his way through since I'd brought him around another way!

I glanced up, searching for yet another chain that I had to climb. I spotted it hanging above and went to stand underneath it, calling Trico so he would come. The giant bird stood where I needed him to (thankfully) so I could use his feathers to get to the top of his head. He seemed to understand that I had to get a little higher in order to reach the chain, and I held on tightly when he stood on his hind legs.

Since I was so close to the chain now, there was no need for me to jump to the ledge that had blue markings plastered on it (which I would prefer not to, anyway—climbing the chain was enough for me.)

I took hold of it with my hands, remembering what I had done in the pond room to get to the top. No matter how much my arms burned, I pushed myself up and used my legs as well for extra support. Once I reached the top at last, Trico fell back down gently on all fours, staring up at me from below with an almost worried expression.

"It's okay, Trico," I said in a calming tone. "This jump is nothing to you!"

I suddenly got the feeling that I was forgetting something. But what could I be forgetting? I hadn't 'brought' anything with me into this world. It had just been me, myself and I. Then my eyes rested upon a glowing blue barrel ahead that lay on another ledge far across from where I was.

_How could I have forgotten that barrel?!_  I scolded myself inwardly.  _Sorry, Trico._

He would just have to wait until we found more toothpaste. I turned around guiltily and continued onward, moving far enough ahead so Trico wouldn't crush me when he leaped up.

He didn't have to wait long when I remembered that the next barrel was hidden inside a mini cave to the left when we entered another, bigger cave. There was yet another crackling fire inside and for some reason, an odd feeling swept through me; I just didn't like how all the fires were still running by themselves. Wasn't the game supposed to be realistic now? I shook the feeling away, pulling the barrel out of the ground with a grunt and bringing it back outside to Trico.

There was only one more wooden barricade that I had to break with Trico's lightning before we were outside once more. There was another small hole that only I was able to fit through on the ground this time, so all I had to do was bend down and make my way to the other side.

"I'll go quick as I can," I promised Trico when he chirped, noticing that I was leaving again.

It was easy to keep my promise, especially with how nervous I was about things like spiders possibly being in the tunnels.

A second beautiful view of trees and grass came into view like the edge of the Nest, and I took in a deep breath of fresh air. I was happy to be outside again and not in the 'dank' confines of the ruins. It was all just so _pretty,_  just like it had been in the game but better because it was actually real!

I didn't even wait for Trico to jump over the high wall, running forward onto the grass that never failed to soothe my sore feet.

"Come on!" I shouted, a laugh escaping me. Feeling like a little kid again (who was I kidding? I  _was_  a little kid again!) I hid underneath a small rock structure that was perfect for my size and waited.

I waited and listened to the sounds of wildlife around me—birds chirping and bugs buzzing that to my disbelief, I didn't even mind. As long as I didn't see them, I would be fine.

Finally, I saw who I was waiting for—and  _hiding_  from. Trico crouched down low like a predator stalking its prey, his eyes brightening when he spotted me in my hiding place underneath the structure. He bolted at a run and for a second, I was afraid that he would run into me. But he slowed down just before he could reach the stone structure, bending his head to peek inside.

"Ah, you found me," I huffed in a 'disappointed' kind of tone. He laughed in his own way, rumbling in content when I rubbed him across his head with my hand.

"Alright, hide and seek is over," I said, ready to get back to the real game.

I led the beast to the far side of the pasture where another wall awaited. Trico would have to jump over it—with me on his back. It would be my first real jump of the game, what with it being so high. I wasn't ready for this, but Trico certainly was when he suddenly appeared to be getting ready to jump.

"Already?!" I cried, raising my hands to try and stop him. "Wait, wait!"

But there was no other choice! Before he could pounce, I wrapped my hands around the feathers on his thigh, holding on for dear life as we careened through the air. After what seemed like an eternity, he landed on the top of the wall.

I didn't even have time to try and climb on his back before he jumped down in a nosedive. I must have been quite a sight flailing through the air holding onto his back leg!

"What did I say about warnings?" I reminded him dizzily, trying to get my bearings straight when all was steady again.

When my jumbled brain cleared, I managed to climb atop Trico's back, then climbed down his side to get to solid ground...

Where a big, ominous glass eye awaited us.

Trico's own eyes flashed pink and he growled, backing up towards the wall. The glass eyes were one of Trico's worst fears in the game, as they prevented him from going any further when they showed up. I had read an article once where the creator said that the eyes were basically like scarecrows. The guards also tormented Trico with them, pushing him into corners and making him terrified to fight back.

The glass eyes, in short, were evil, and so I did my job by shoving the one we had just found over the edge. Trico returned to normal, much to my relief. He was  _scary_  when he was afraid or angry.

I turned around to see numerous flights of old, stone steps.

"My old enemy...stairs..." I whispered more to myself than to Trico.

It was where we had to go next, so I ran up to where the sun was peeking through gaps in the wall ahead.

Trico moved himself close enough to where I could climb up his body and step over to the ledge above with relative ease. The hole to the far right was big enough for me to stand in, so I moved through and emerged onto the other side—

Only to nearly fall to my death! Arms flailing, I screamed and managed to regain my balance quickly as I possibly could before such a thing could happen. Wind echoed in the new, cramped space where ledges eagerly awaited me to climb them. I however, was not as eager. I had made it to this point in the game myself, and always had a terrible time with the controls trying to get to where I needed to be; I almost always made a wrong judgement as to where I needed to jump, and then I would fall.

I couldn't afford to make any mistakes now! I didn't know if I would just come back after it was game over—that just wasn't a risk I could take, and I didn't really want to find out in the first place. I just wanted to get this part over with!

So I jumped to the first stony blue ledge, managing to catch it and hang on with both hands. I moved to the right until I could go no further, dropping before I could have any second thoughts. I made it in one piece down to the second ledge below, then jumped up again. I turned my head a little until I could see the other hole that I needed to go through, then closed my eyes for a moment.

_Here goes nothing._

I jumped yet again, grabbing hold of the entrance to the hole and then dropping down so I could go through. This hole was big enough to stand in too, so I walked back and made the final drop down to where the lever that I needed to pull was.

Still in a mild shock from all I had gone through in such a short span of time, my mind was sort of blank as I pulled the lever down. The gate that blocked Trico from coming through opened, and I instantly hugged one of his front legs when he was within arm's reach.

"I did it again! I'm alive!" I cried with glee, tears nearly pouring down my face. Trico tilted his head to the side, obviously confused as to why I was so happy. I'd just lived through one of the most horrifying moments of The Last Guardian!

I remained in place, keeping my arms wrapped around Trico until my heart settled down and my breathing slowed; I figured that I hadn't fully realized how high I had been or how far I was jumping, which was a good (and probably a bad) thing.

Once I recovered from the fact that I had actually lived through that whole ordeal, I went to pick up a new barrel for Trico to eat. I was hungry again too, so I swiped a bit of 'sugar' with my finger and swallowed, soon feeling re-energized. After I was finished eating, I placed the barrel in front of another wooden door so it would be easier for him to snatch up instead of trying to get it in a narrow hallway.

Wielding the mirror after he had his fill, the lightning from his tail shot down the wood, revealing a more sinister part of the game...

The cage.

The cage where Trico would go crazy and literally eat me! I froze, refusing to go any further. Trico continued stepping forward anyway, his eyes turning pink again. He growled, moving as if in slow motion towards his doom (our doom?)

"It's okay, Trico," I comforted, attempting to calm him down with a stroke of my hand. It's really  _NOT_  okay!

"Please don't eat me..."

I continued petting him as if it would send him off to sleep like the soothing action sometimes did. I was surprised when his growls grew fainter and he actually yawned. I knew that hadn't been part of this particular sequence, so maybe I had broken through to him? Maybe I  _wouldn't_  get eaten after all? That would make my entire week!

Trico was snoring now—snoring louder than anyone I had ever heard. His eyes were closed and his chest was falling and rising steadily. I couldn't believe it! I'd actually changed an event in the game—and for the better!

I wasn't getting eaten anytime soon; it was safe to go down below and figure something out.

_The beast was scared of something,_  the man's voice echoed as I had no other choice but to lower myself down into the middle of the cage. Trico wasn't scared anymore; he was sound asleep on the top of the platform, and all I had to do was figure out a way to destroy the mind control device.

It didn't take me long to think of a plan. I still had the mirror, and the mirror could control Trico's lightning. It would most likely still work if he was asleep, so I raised an arm—

**_Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing._ **

The sound was horrible even to me, piercing through my head and causing a splitting headache to erupt almost instantly.

To my horror, Trico's big ears shot up and his eyes shot open.

_No, no, no!_  This couldn't be happening! The mind control device was only activated when Trico jumped down into the cage, and he was still on top! How was it possible?!

Trico leaped down with an angry screech, shaking his head violently in protest at the sudden intrusion in his head. His eyes turned pink, and it was then that I knew for sure I was in trouble. Heart racing, I tried to get away while talking him down. But I could hardly think straight with the loud noise pounding against my brain, let alone try and run when Trico was even bigger and faster, knocking me over at every large and menacing step he took.

"Trico no, it's me!" I shouted desperately, covering my head for protection. "You don't have to do this! You can fight it!"

This wasn't happening! Everything had been going so  _well!_

But he was just so  _big_  and I was so _small,_  and all good things had to come to an end at some point.

I only lasted less than a second before he gobbled me up in his mouth and swallowed.

I never had time to scream.

xxxx

_It was like having a weird dream that you couldn't quite piece together. I had expected the same scene to play out when Trico had first kidnapped the boy, but to my shock, something entirely different took place instead..._

_There was darkness at first, then bright green. It was swirling all around me in a great black nothingness, and I couldn't move no matter how hard I tried. I just felt so tired and weak as if my very soul itself had been sucked out of my body..._

_**"You will never find him,"**  a voice that I didn't recognize hissed menacingly. I couldn't remember anyone speaking in the game besides the boy and the villagers back in his home._

_**"You're stuck here forever."** _

_It was like a sharp slap across my face. "Find who? I don't want to stay here forever! I want to go home! Please let me go!"_

_**"You're not going anywhere,"**  the unknown voice spoke again, dark and cold._

_I thought I could hear screaming in the far off distance._ _"Help!"_

_The dream ended in a bright, blinding flash._


	7. Chapter 7

I shot awake, breathing so fast I was sure I was going to faint again. Checking my surroundings, I found that I was still in the cage with Trico. He was completely knocked out—lying down with his tail hanging over the edge of the cage. I could hear him breathing too, and he didn't sound that great; his breath came out in short, ragged and painful sounding gasps.

I stood up from where I'd apparently been...released from Trico's stomach. I couldn't remember much of what it had been like in there, thankfully. The only thing I  _could_  remember were bits and pieces of the dream that I'd had. I was still in shock just from the fact that it hadn't ended up being pieces of flashbacks of when the boy had first been taken from his home. There was also fear because now I knew for sure that  _anything_  could happen—the game wasn't following a script anymore. One single event could have a domino effect and change others.

_You will never find him,_  I could remember a horrible voice saying.

I could also remember the screaming that I'd heard in the distance.  _Help!_

There was only one person, or 'thing' that I knew the first voice could possibly belong to. No one else could sound that dark, cold and menacing...

It had to be the Master of the Valley. The weird feeling that came to me whenever we crossed paths with the flaming wall torches returned, and I almost gasped at my sudden revelation.

The strange feeling had been like something...or  _someone_  was watching us. Could it be possible that the Master was watching us... _now?_  I wouldn't be surprised; it literally had eyes everywhere. Shivers ran down my spine at the thought that there was a chance we were being watched.

I could almost hear the screaming again.  _Help!_

What had the Master meant by 'you will never find him?' Him who? The only other character I could think of was the boy. So he was still here in the game? The Master must have kidnapped him somehow and hid him in a place that would be difficult to find. But where?

I doubted that he was here in the exact same room with me. It would be way too easy! But just in case...

"Hello?" I called, cupping my hands around my mouth. "Anyone here? Where are you...boy?"

It would be nice to know what his real name was now that I apparently had to search for him.

Glancing at the sleeping Trico, I knew that it was time to get a move on. Looking down at my left hand where I had been holding the mirror before getting eaten, the shield-like object was gone. Trico had swallowed it up into his stomach where I wouldn't be able to reach it until later when he would spit it out.

Before I could look away from my hand, I noticed that it had started... _glowing_  again. It was glowing the same color white that it had when I'd first seen it happen after the mirror connected to Trico's eyes. Except this time...the tattoos on the backs of  _both_  of my hands were glowing white!

I raised both hands so I could get a better look at the backs of them. I stared in awe and confusion at the sight, plus a little fear. Was something happening to me? Was it a sign of some sort? Was it going to spread even more? I had no idea, but I hoped that an answer would come soon, even if that was unlikely. I didn't like being left in the dark about things!

The white glow on both hands gradually faded and I let out a quiet sigh of relief. I looked down at Trico once more, deciding to move closer to him. He didn't even twitch when I placed a single hand on the side of his head, rubbing it in comforting reassurance.

"You're going to be okay," I told him softly. "I'll be right back."

Gently as I could, I stepped onto Trico's neck. Still he didn't budge, trapped in his unconscious slumber. I crept along his body until I reached his tail that hung over the cage's edge. I grabbed hold and started climbing downwards, repeating  _don't look down_  to myself in a mantra again.

Trico's tail was fairly easy to descend. Soon enough, I was able to let go and hang on with one hand. The stone platform that I needed to get to wasn't that far away, so I braced myself and jumped no matter how much my mind was screaming at me that it was insane or how my stomach dropped at the very fact that if I missed my target, I would fall thousands of feet into the unknown abyss below.

My knees screeched in burning pain when I landed hard onto the stone platform. I cringed when a chill went up my body as I realized that I'd splashed right into a big puddle of water that covered the entire patio. The water was coming from an open passageway in the middle of the platform—one that I had to go inside of.

If you're claustrophobic, it wasn't a great place to be, what with the walls seeming like they were closing in on you. There was hardly enough room to stand even in my new, little height, and the low metal ceiling with holes only became lower as I reluctantly made my way forward. Eventually, I had no choice but to get on my knees in order to keep going.

I crawled through the water passage slowly, my knees achieving scratches and bruises on the hard stone beneath.

It wasn't until a...strange sort of smell made itself known did I stop to take a small break. It wasn't exactly a  _smell;_  it was more like a bad feeling that you got in your gut when you knew something was wrong, or that something bad was going to happen.

_Something in the armour's ill-omened air told me to keep my distance,_  I recalled the older man narrating.

_Oh, great._  I was right underneath _them_  now. The guards! The guards that tormented Trico with the glass eyes to keep him from fighting back, their sole purpose to try and catch the little boy no matter how many times he escaped their clutches or how Trico would always come to said boy's rescue.

I was definitely 'looking forward' to when they would run after  _me_  and grab me by the waist to throw me over their shoulders. Then they would try and drag me to the dreaded doors that led into the great unknown. No one knew what lay beyond the mystery doors, but there was a chance that I could now find out.

I didn't even  _want_  to find out, preferring to actually be left in the dark this time when it came to those creepy doors. I continued moving forward through the passageway, hardly daring to breathe in case the slightest sound would suddenly bring the armour to life. They wouldn't be able to reach me down here, but I didn't want to wake them up either way!

I made a left turn into another part of the passage, continued going straight and then turned left again. I kept going straight until I was able to hop out of an opening, landing into another puddle filled corner. A red, rusty ladder was waiting for me to climb it, which I did so with some reluctance. It was high, but it wasn't  _too_  high. Now I could see Trico from way up on top of a platform—he was still sound asleep.

Turning around, I spotted the lever that I had to pull to open the gate below...the gate where the guards were unknowingly awaiting my presence. I hung off of the edge of the platform so it would be an easier drop when I let go. I landed hard on my feet and it hurt, but I was able to keep my balance and stay standing.

I crept slowly and quietly as I could towards the open gate, my heart beginning to pick up its pace. I could already see the green-eyed armour waiting inside. All I had to do was run in, get their attention, and then run back to Trico who would be alerted and woken up by the commotion.

_You can do this,_  I tried to encourage myself.  _Just run in there and run back out._

Easier said than done. Up until this point, I'd always managed to get myself to do something out of my comfort zone just by convincing myself that I could do whatever needed to be done as long as Trico was right there with me. He was still with me, but he was knocked out; unconscious. It would take a minute or two at least for him to leap up and save me (or even less) but a minute was still too long! The guards were determined to drag me to whatever awaited us in those haunted doors, so it wouldn't take them long at all to do their job. In the game, they hadn't been that scary. Now in real life, they were  _terrifying._  I couldn't bring myself to get them to come to life!

I took a hesitant step forward into the hallway where the guards were standing in their corners, just waiting to come out and grab me. I took another step and they still didn't come to life—I had to go in the very  _middle_  of the hall for them to even budge from their spots. My heart rate continued to speed up, and I was close to hyperventilating in all my anxiety. Between Trico eating me or the guards catching me, I would rather have Trico eat me than be caught and thrown into a door that led to who knew where.

"Rise and shine," I couldn't help but say in an attempt to alert them from where I was—to stay as far away as possible.

But nothing was going to happen if I stayed where I was—another thought that always got me to push myself into these horrifying scenarios.

I squeezed my eyes shut and  _ran._  I just  _ran_  like I had never run before right into the middle of the hallway. They burst to life, air whizzing as their heads grew longer and they unfroze, running in my direction quick as lightning before I even had a chance to get away!

Panting, I had no other choice but to run in the opposite direction of where I had come. My original plan had been to try and stay as close to Trico as I possibly could, but that plan was futile now!

"Stay away!" I shouted though I knew it would be no use, racing towards the outside patio. Big mistake! Now I was trapped, and I had nowhere else to run! I could hear their feet clanking as they easily caught up, and my eyes bulged in absolute terror. I attempted to climb onto the railing that surrounded the platform, hardly noticing my second terror in that I could have just as easily fallen right off.

Strong hands grabbed me by my waist, thankfully never giving me the chance to fall. I flailed helplessly, the other guards surrounding the one that had successfully captured its victim. They clasped their own hands together, green symbols beginning to shoot towards me.

_"Trico!"_  I screamed even amidst my absolute terror. I'd always thought that in a scary situation like this, I would have been so afraid that my ability to scream for help would be compromised, but it was actually the other way around.

The guard that was holding me started trudging back into the hallway. The green symbols that continued shooting out of the hands of the other guards were starting to cloud my vision. Green patterns attached themselves to my body and I began to feel weaker than I ever had before...just like in my dream, I realized.

I was in a mild stupor by the time the guard that was holding me captive made it back into the hallway. I couldn't move my arms anymore, just barely able to struggle.

"Trico..." I couldn't even scream. From what I could tell in my blurry vision, we were at the end of the hallway now and heading towards...Trico himself?

I instantly perked up at the sight of Trico, regaining a bit of my strength just from seeing the giant beast. There was a blue door that the guards were stupid enough to try and take me to. Luckily, they continued onward towards the sleeping animal and it was then that I realized my good fortune.

_"Trico!"_  I managed to scream with everything I had. My voice was hoarse—I could hardly see a thing with the green patterns that clouded my view, and I could move no longer. But I could  _hear,_  and I heard a mighty  ** _ROAR_**  as my savior finally awoke.

It was all a blur as Trico rushed to my rescue, swiping his large talons to throw the surprised guards over the edge of the cage. I was still being held tightly by the guard that had captured me, hanging listlessly over his shoulders—

Not for long.

Once Trico saw my plight, he smashed the guard that held me down to the ground, bending his head so he could pick up the armour in his mouth and  _shake_ it until it was flung over the side of the bridge. I was tossed in the other direction, landing in a heap on the hard stone floor back in the middle of the cage. Trico roared again, hopping on his feet towards the bridge where the remaining guards were trying to make their way across.

The (usually) friendly giant snarled, taking out the last few guards with just his fury alone.

I let out a breath that I hadn't realized I'd been holding when it appeared that all the guards were gone. They were either disembodied on the floor or simply gone over the edge of the bridge after Trico had hurled them to their ends.

My once-fictional friend kept up his snarling, shaking his head in distress. I stood from the spot where I had fallen with effort, my body crying out in protest. My eyesight had returned to normal, much to my relief; the green patterns were no more.

_Trico seemed greatly unsettled after the battle with the suits of armour. I had to find a way to calm my companion's nerves,_ the narration came rushing back to me. His nerves weren't the only thing I had to calm! I'd just gone through the most terrifying moment of my entire _life_ and was fighting against another panic attack right then and there, desperately trying to get my breathing under control.

But Trico was still blinded by the struggle that had just occurred, too wrapped up in his own fear of the armour. He was thrashing so much that I couldn't even begin to think about trying to climb up his body to pet him, so I grappled for another solution.

"Shhh," I soothed, stepping closer to him cautiously. Whenever I had been upset or anxious in my own world before all this had happened and I was on the verge of a panic attack, music was one thing that would help me calm down. I was still nervous myself after nearly being taken by the guards, my muscles tense as if I was still being forcefully dragged to my doom.

I wished that I still had my music player with me, but my voice was all that I currently possessed. Only one song came to mind...the theme that played in one of The Last Guardian trailers— _Dreams of Trico._

I couldn't sing to save my life, but I didn't need to. The song didn't have words and it didn't need them to communicate what a beautiful and mysterious creature Trico really was, and how beautiful and mysterious the game that he came from was as well.

My humming began, and I tried to make it sound as soothing and relaxing as possible. The battle that had just occurred swept through my mind, but I refused to let it overtake me. The 'music' was already helping to calm us  _both_  down.

Trico's growls were fading and he didn't seem as tense, his body giving into the beautiful tune that I let loose. If only he knew that he was listening to his own song! I hummed the main part of the theme until his growls completely stopped, his body still wiggling but not as much. It was safe for me to climb him now!

"Good boy," I whispered to him as I grabbed a handful of feathers to climb up his still form, restarting my humming to the main theme again. I stroked the beast gently with one hand until I knew for sure that he was completely calm. I couldn't believe the song was actually working! It wasn't until Trico sat and allowed me to slide down his back did I cease my hums. We had to get back outside and now that we had both calmed ourselves down, we could do so without any trouble.

I made my way in the direction of the hallway where the guards had been waiting, Trico getting up from his sitting position to follow me inside. There was a medium-sized opening that was big enough for me to fit through, but not for Trico. When I was all the way in, he attempted to squeeze his head in the hole that, yet again, was too small for a creature of his size to squeeze through. His head was the perfect fit however, and it was also the perfect elevator!

Using his head to my advantage, I hopped up to grab onto the ledge above, and then another where there were blue markings painted onto the stone. The markings were there in the game to help the player get to where they needed to be, like directions on a map. If they weren't there at all, then the game would be extremely obscure. Since I had watched so many walkthroughs, I didn't really need them anyway as I had nearly memorized the entire game before even playing it. Except I wasn't exactly 'playing' it now which was the problem, especially when I had to jump across the stone ledge to the wooden beams ahead.

They weren't that far away from where I stood, so I told myself that it was no big deal even though my gut told me otherwise. While it was the simple rule that I wouldn't get anywhere if I didn't do anything that kept me going, I don't know how I managed to convince myself to do these things! There was no invisible wall that stopped the boy from falling, so if I took just one misstep, I would fall to the ground below. It wasn't that bad of a drop, but it was still high enough to hurt myself.

I inched carefully along the wood until a gap blocked me from going any further—a gap that wanted me to jump to the next beam. Instead of jumping, however, I decided to do the logical thing, bringing myself down lower so I was 'safely' hanging with both hands on the beam.

Moving sideways until I was on the opposite beam, I pulled myself up with a grunt onto two feet. The rest of the way was easy—I just had to go straight until I reached the next chain that hung from an outside opening on the ceiling.

Looking backwards, I saw that Trico had grown impatient, pulling his head back out of the hole that he had somehow managed to fit his huge head in.

"Don't worry, there's another way," I said, my confidence building.

I didn't have to jump that far to the chain this time! There was enough wooden beam that I could use to walk around until I was standing right next to it. I didn't have to reach far with it being in arm's length, so I simply grabbed hold and began to climb upward towards the open hole that led to the outside.

Leaves covered the walls in the hole, a nice breeze blowing them gently in the wind as I made my way up. Once I reached the top, I grabbed hold of the last wooden beam and used it to climb out into the open air, warm sun soothing my aching body. I stepped off of the beam and into the welcoming light, turning my attention to the ledge where Trico would have to jump. Butterflies of different colors that ranged from blue to yellow whirled around me, causing a smile to creep slowly across my face as I moved towards the edge where Trico needed to get to.

Speaking of Trico...

_**"Tuuuuuuuricoooooo!"**_ I shouted at the top of my lungs. For some reason, it seemed that he would only come if I screamed his name like the boy did. He appeared down below in the cage, craning his neck so he could see me on top. He moved his large body in a circle so that he was facing me. This time, I didn't need a warning—I could tell just from his movements that he was going to jump!

He sat, preparing himself to launch forward. He leaped up, grabbing onto the edge with his strong talons. The sensitive stone crumbled beneath his feet and for a second, I was afraid that he was going to fall. I only let out a sigh of relief when he managed to lift himself up safely to solid ground.

We were both officially outside again!

Trico bent downwards, pushing himself off the grass to sprint forward into the sun; he was just as happy as me to be outside! He clambered onto the stone ledges across from where I stood, and I couldn't help but laugh and run after him. He sprinted back towards me, his injured wings fluttering in joy. It wasn't until I was out of breath from running did I stop and take a closer look around me at the area, a certain realization hitting me full-force.

I stopped in the middle of the field, glancing from left to right at the stony pillars that surrounded us on either side.

This...this was where I had been playing last before getting sucked into the game! Maybe I could find something here that had to do with the whole incident...

xxxx

"Did you find anything?" I asked Trico when he came up to me after exploring the stone that we would eventually have to jump over. I didn't know what exactly I was looking for. Anything... _weird,_  I guess. I'd checked every nook and cranny and had come up with absolutely nothing. There was  _nothing_  to suggest that something had happened in this part of the game that had caused me to get sucked inside.

Trico just grumbled, sitting on his hind legs so he could scratch an itch on one of his huge ears. I hadn't taken notice before, but at the beginning of the game, his horns had been really short. Now his left seemed a bit bigger than his right. They were growing! But horns weren't going to get me anywhere.

"Thanks for the help," I muttered quietly in annoyance. There had to be  _something_  here that would give me a clue as to what happened when I'd originally been playing the game in my apartment, but there was just... _nothing._

I absolutely hated the word  _nothing_  now.

I didn't know where else to look or  _what_  to look for, exactly. I'd even tried calling for the boy again while Trico swatted playfully at the butterflies, but of course there was no answer. Night was approaching, the sun gradually fading until there were nothing but shadows creeping along the stone walls. I eventually gave up, sitting on the grass with my back against the hard surface.

Trico sensed that something was troubling me. He bent his head down to nudge my face gently with his nose, but I wasn't in the mood to even give him a smile.

"Go away," I couldn't help but say in a harsh tone. Trico wouldn't have any of it. He nudged me with his nose again and I struck it sharply with a hand.

"Go  _away,"_  I seethed, my teeth clenched to try and hold back tears. He whined, an almost surprised look crossing his features when my hand made sharp contact  _again_ so he would get the message. He rumbled worriedly and instead of leaving, he made himself comfortable by sitting right beside me. His ears twitched and he stretched his front legs like a dog, letting out a loud yawn.

It was no use; it looked like I had a friend to keep me company tonight. I sighed, feeling guilty for hitting such a majestic creature on the nose even though it probably hadn't hurt him that much, what with him being so big. He wrapped his entire body around me and I couldn't help but lean into his soft feathers, reaching my hands up to stroke him smoothly.

"I'm sorry," I murmured in a whisper, about to lose control of the tears that I'd so far managed to keep contained. To distract myself, I glanced up at the night sky. It had been daytime throughout most of the game, but now there were apparently day and night cycles. The stars that shone above were stunning, but it wasn't distracting enough for long; my anger and frustration that I'd somehow gotten sucked into a  _video game_  of all things came rushing back. Not even Trico's loud snores as he slept the night away helped anything.

Things like this just didn't  _happen._  You didn't just get sucked into a video game for no reason!

It was impossible!

But it had happened to  _me._

Why?  _How?_  There were so many questions burning at the back of my mind that it made me want to scream. All I wanted to do was go back home!

_You're not going anywhere,_  the Master's voice returned in a terrifying whisper.

The only thing I could do was sob until I dozed off into a deep sleep, hardly noticing the fact that Trico had woken again to nuzzle my face comfortingly once more.


	8. Chapter 8

Pleasant warmth on my skin was the first thing that began to stir me from my dreamless sleep. A nice breeze swept past, gently ruffling my hair.

Except that when I peeked one eye open, I discovered that it wasn't a nice breeze at all. Even though I wasn't fully awake yet, I could see that Trico had moved from his spot next to me and was now on all fours in front of me, trying to wake me up.

The gray beast stared back at my half-asleep state, bobbing his head slightly up and down as if he was saying yes to something.

"Just five more minutes," I mumbled, curling into a ball on the grass. Since arriving to The Last Guardian world, I didn't have a job anymore. Since I didn't have a job anymore, that meant I could sleep in however long I wanted to! I didn't want to get up yet!

Trico huffed, his chest feathers expanding outwards in an impatient manner.

Then something warm and wet shot all over my body, covering my robe in a gooey, translucent mess.

That got me to shoot up into a sitting position, both eyes wide in surprise and disgust.

"Did—did you just—"

Trico shook his head innocently, something that looked like water dribbling down his nose.

It was anything but water, shining green in the rising sun.

"Ew, ew, ew, ew," was all I could say as if I'd just gotten cooties from a boy in elementary school. I wiped a bit of goo with a hand, but it turned out that a little was actually a lot—it stuck to my hand like glue in a big, round and clear blob. I was definitely wide awake now!

"Okay, okay, I'm up."

Trico rumbled as though he was laughing at me, to which I responded by sticking out my tongue at him. No worries—there was a small pool on the other side of the stone that I could just wash myself off in.

Taking a closer look at my surroundings, I saw that it was morning—bright and early. Wind continued to blow past, fluttering the grass. White birds soared overhead in the foggy, overcast sky, singing their wake up song.

Another rumble was heard, but I soon realized that it wasn't Trico who had made the noise. Still in his standing position, he tilted his head to the side, large ears twitching in curiosity.

"So what's for breakfast?" I asked, a sheepish smile crossing my face. I hadn't eaten since the last barrel that we'd found, and that was just before getting eaten by Trico...it had been awhile since my last 'meal.' One swipe of the sugary goodness was enough to fill me up with its powerful energy, but there weren't any barrels in this area to my knowledge unless they were hidden. I also came to the conclusion that it probably wasn't a good idea to live off of barrels alone while I was still here in the game. I most likely needed my regular nutrients, too!

No matter how hungry I was, bugs were out of the question. I knew that they were good protein-wise for survival if someone was ever stranded on an island, but I wasn't going to go that far! What could I possibly find here that was edible...? I wasn't an expert in what was safe and what was poisonous, so plants were out of the question, as well.

As if on cue, I spotted a tiny shape skittering past out of the corner of my eye. Following its movement quickly so I wouldn't miss anything, I nearly screamed and jumped backwards toward Trico when a black  _gecko_  crawled through the grass and revealed itself!

It remained still, basking in the sun's shining rays.

"Hello, little guy," I whispered, staying as still as I possibly could to avoid spooking the tiny creature. I wasn't about to eat a lizard either, but a thought had just crossed my mind—I was still unsure as to whether or not I was 'immortal' like the boy. Whenever he died, he would come back like nothing disastrous had ever happened to him. I couldn't believe I'd made it this far with only a few scrapes and bruises to tell the tale!

I wished that I still had the mirror with me so I could try and see if my predicament really was a matter of life and death. I knew I wouldn't have been able to do it anyway, though. I didn't like lizards of any kind, but a lizard was still an innocent creature that deserved to be left alone. I was happy when the tiny animal skittered away to safety.

My stomach growled again and Trico blinked in confusion, bending down closer to me so he could sniff my belly as if he was wondering why it was making such strange noises.

"It's okay, I'm just hungry," I told him, patting him gently on the nose. I still felt guilty for hitting him last night, but he seemed to have forgotten all about my little burst of anger. "I don't think there's anything to eat around here..."

He lifted his head up, making growling sounds that matched my starving and empty belly. To my surprise, he began to heave as if he was going to be sick, his dark eyes narrowing into slits like he was concentrating on something important.

Then he  _gurgled_  and spat out what looked to be...

A messy pile of blue, crushed barrel. Its remains lay there on the ground, a bit of blue energy reflecting the sun that managed to peek out through the gray clouds overhead. There were even some broken pieces of wood mixed in with the pile of blue goo.

Trico had regurgitated the last barrel that we'd found! I didn't even know he could do that—he'd never coughed anything up in the game except for the boy after he'd been eaten and the mirror! He bent his head down, pushing the barrel remains closer to me with his nose and then lifting it up expectantly as if he was waiting for me to eat it. I reeled back in disgust and he whimpered, almost as if I'd hurt his feelings by refusing his offering.

"Uhhh, thanks buddy, but I think I'm good for now," I said, giving my hungry stomach a pat with one hand. I'd just have to wait until we came across another barrel that hadn't been swallowed and then regurgitated.

He nodded his head as though he'd understood, and his attention then turned to the stone barrier that blocked us from getting to the small pool on the other side. It looked like we were both ready to get a move on, so I grabbed a handful of feathers on Trico's leg and made my way up his body to his back.

The jump didn't look bad enough where my heart would start pounding and I would enter into a full blown panic. It was just a tall, stone pillar that Trico could easily make his way over without any trouble. If it wasn't any trouble for him, then it wouldn't be any trouble for me. I glanced back at the field with the pillars one last time, a feeling of nervousness poking at my gut. That spot was where I'd last played the game on the PS4. Once we made it over the barrier, I would have to rely on remembering the walkthroughs that I'd watched before buying the console and playing the game myself. No problem! Right...?

Before I knew it, we made it in one giant leap over the stone blocks.

Trico grumbled and moaned, already heading in a direction that he had in mind. He huffed and sniffed the air, his nose nearly having a twitching attack. My eyes bulged upon my realization that he was going to stick his head into one of the three holes of a small building that carried a very odd, yet very pleasant smell through the air. It was almost like...like...

_Garlic!_

Most people I know hate the smell, but I could never get enough! No wonder Trico loved the smell that the pot released so much! Who knew that the sugary, energy substance would also smell just like  _garlic_  of all things? I knew everything there was to expect about this game, but I hadn't been expecting _that._

The garlic scent was the 'mysterious aroma' that the older version of the boy had talked about, the smell that distracted Trico and kept him from going any further unless I did something to stop the wonderful smell from wafting through the air. Before Trico could poke his head inside, I climbed lower down his body and hopped off safely to the ground.

Of course he just  _had_  to stick his head into the wrong spot—the hole on the far right. I needed to get him into the middle hole and to do that, I needed to move the gigantic pot that was sitting inside.

Like I had known it would probably be, the huge pot was  _heavy._  Without the wheels to get it to where I needed it to be, moving such a huge thing would have otherwise been impossible. I grunted, using all the strength that I could muster until the pot was directly in front of the middle hole.

Trico snorted in frustration at the fact that his smelly goodness had been moved. He wiggled, blinking his glassy, mesmerized eyes, and his large head caused him some issues as he tried to pull himself out of the hole. At last he managed to free himself and he backed up, only to try and squeeze through exactly where I wanted him. Running back outside, I wasted no time in climbing to his back while he was distracted by the smell.

There were green vines blowing in the gentle wind that I could use to climb up to the top of the building. The blue smoke-like substance was billowing out of a small, circled opening where a ladder was waiting for me to climb down. The garlic smell was really strong now, like someone was blowing their breath directly in my face. I kind of understood then why most people I knew didn't like the scent. The ladder wasn't a complete structure, so I had to hop off about halfway where I landed on a wooden ledge. Since I had pulled the pot into the middle of the room, there was a platform I was able to stand on where I could shove the pot's heavy lid closed.

It took all the remaining strength I had left, but I finally managed to slam the lid shut. It smacked back down loudly on the top of the pot, and it was only until after it had been shut completely did I realize my new and challenging predicament: there was no way to get down!

Well, I wasn't going to jump from way up here! Using the ladder again, I climbed up until I was on top of the building once more. Trico was standing right in front of me, his glassy eyes finally back to normal now that the smell was gone. I climbed down the vines, letting go once I was closer to Trico.

He let out a happy chirp, glad to be of service. I lowered myself down from his body until I was back on the ground, and then I turned my attention to the small pool that rested in the area. The water wasn't high at all—it was just ankle deep, which was no problem at all for a huge beast like Trico. I moved forward, its cool temperature soothing my sore feet that weren't happy at all with having to climb over stone so much.

The sight of water made my mouth...well... _water._  Now that I was looking at the pool, I was finally taking notice of just how  _thirsty_  I was. The last time I drank any water had been back home in my apartment. Water wasn't readily available in this world, so I had to take advantage of any liquids that we came across.

It looked clean enough...

I was so thirsty that I didn't bother taking a closer look. I cupped my hands together, bringing them down frantically into the pool to bring them back out and into my dry mouth. I instantly swallowed, savoring the fresh taste. At least, I hoped it was fresh. I told myself to stop worrying, drinking my fill until I was fit to burst.

I never thought I'd ever have water for breakfast one day!

Trico moved next to me, surveying the clear liquid as well. He placed one foot into the shallow pool as if to test how deep it really was, and then another.

As Trico inspected the water, I finally took notice of my own reflection now that I was full. It was clear enough so I could see my face, and I almost shied away in shock.

A younger version of myself stared back.

My auburn, reddish brown and normally straight shoulder-length hair was all matted and tangled.

My face was anything but clean with dirt practically scattered around every inch along its bruised features, and my usually bright hazel eyes were just as dull as the rest of me. I could see an orange shirt underneath my white robe like the one the boy had worn, and it was tattered and torn. After all I'd gone through, I wasn't surprised that I was such a mess, but it was still a shock to see myself in such a state when I always tried my best to stay nice, clean and healthy.

The realization that I was a little girl again came full-force, and I didn't know what to think about that. I had been one of those kids who had longed to grow up fast so adults wouldn't treat me like a baby, especially my parents. I wanted them to see that I was capable of taking care of myself, so at the first chance I had, I moved out and got a job working in a boring office type setting.

After everything that had happened to me so far, I was starting to see that maybe turning into a little girl and going on this adventure wasn't such a bad idea, that maybe I should use the sudden and out of this world opportunity to my advantage.

It was hard in The Last Guardian world, of course, and I couldn't believe that I'd already made it as far as I had. But for every scary, tense and gloomy moment, there were happy, suspenseful and exciting ones to make up for them.

I grinned, splashing Trico with a handful of water. He yelped in surprise, but then his dark eyes brightened so I could see that behind the darkness, they were actually a beautiful yellow at the prospect that I'd actually initiated a play session. He swatted back and I laughed when an enormous sized splash of water hit me directly in the face, clearing my scratches and bruises. He rumbled in laughter and I laughed along as he rolled over onto his back in the pool, lifting his legs playfully into the air like he was asking for a belly rub.

He stood again, bounding and twisting his huge body as though he were trying to get the normally-still water to play with us. Only when we were both out of breath and my skin was starting to get wrinkly did we stop, Trico stepping out of the pool to shake himself dry. I never got a chance to even start drying off, becoming soaked in massive sprays of water once again.

"Gee, thanks," I muttered, raising my soaking wet arms. Extra laughter escaped and I did a little shake myself, trying to copy Trico's movements.

We were still wet, but not wet enough to prevent us from continuing on our journey. I climbed up the stone steps that led through a vine-covered hole, stepping cautiously out on a narrow ledge that stretched nearly to the foggy sky itself. Taking a deep breath, I tip-toed along the wall, making sure not to look down. I moved until I was almost to the very edge of the side of the building, refusing to go any further.

Trico let out a deep, growly bark, and I turned my head to see him jump onto the stone pillar across from where I was. He sat, staring at me expectantly like he knew what my next move would be. I walked slowly as possible back in his direction until I was out of the vine-covered opening again, then I grabbed hold of his furry tail so I could climb up to his back. The jump to the next ledge across from us wasn't that far away, so I had no issues with just hopping down onto the stone platform. I waited for Trico to jump over the ledge himself into the new, tight space so there would be no chance that he would crush me by accident.

I knew his routine by now—he wasn't going to give me any warnings as to when he would jump, so I braced myself and twisted my hands around his feathers to avoid falling off in midair. He nosedived once, then a second time until we landed safely down into the stone ruins below.

"You really have to start giving me a head's up," I grumbled. He should know at this point that I didn't like it when he jumped without warning! Then again, maybe it was better that way for the sake of my sanity...

Though I was still dizzy from flying through the air, I was able to climb down Trico and hop off once I was low enough. Butterflies swirled and birds chirped in the new area, and there was another clear water pool that rested underneath an extremely high stone structure that expanded around most of the ruins.

Trico rumbled, wandering to the water's edge. He looked back at me, his eyes hopeful as if he wanted to have another splash fight.

But I was too busy staring at the structure above, waiting for a certain creature to make an appearance. The tall, pointy-ledged structure was perfect for a cat-like giant to climb...

_There!_

My heart skipped a beat when a large, far away creature leaped out from the shadows. I instantly recognized the evil Trico; it turned around and then sat on top of its perch to screech loudly at us.

I glanced back at my Trico. His attention had been ripped away from the pool, and now he was staring straight up at the other Trico. He growled, hackles raised, and I was surprised when he stood up on his hind legs and pawed at the air with his talons just like he had done at the edge of the Nest.

Though I hadn't made it this far playing the game myself on the PS4, I could remember from walkthroughs that Trico had never gotten  _this_  worked up over the evil Trico.

Confused, I glanced back up—

My breath was almost knocked out of me when I caught sight of  _another_  big shape—

There was a second Trico sitting next to the first.

Another Trico that was not as frighteningly familiar. It didn't try to taunt us by roaring; it remained silent, simply sitting besides the first evil Trico like they were partners in crime. The original evil Trico screeched once more and then leaped back into the shadows where it had come from, and the new evil Trico followed suit.

Just like my Trico, the others had free will now that the game was real—to an extent. They were still under the Master's command, but they weren't following the game's protocol any longer. I knew that there were numerous other Tricos, but no one had had any idea where they were until the final scene of the game. Most likely collecting children, but there had been the original evil Trico that had gotten wind of us and kept track of where we were.

Who knew when the others would strike now?

We were going to have to be on the lookout for all the other Tricos that might be near.


	9. Chapter 9

I was still unsettled by the fact that we had seen two Tricos instead of one even after they had vanished out of sight. We weren't going to meet them again until later—the original evil Trico, at least. I shuddered at the thought that we had to keep an eye out for another and maybe more, possibly. The boy had barely managed to escape one; how was I supposed to escape _two?!_

Staring down at the last clear, shallow pool that we would see for awhile, I decided to take a few more sips to hold me over. If only I had a bottle or canteen to put some water in that I could carry...but there was nothing that I could use in sight. I sighed, slumping my shoulders in defeat. Trico grumbled, his ears flicking as he stared down at me.

_Let's go,_  he seemed to say. I smiled faintly and nodded, turning my attention towards our next destination.

Together, we entered a stone building to the left. Two flaming wall torches on either side of the entrance caught my eye, and the strange feeling that we were being watched returned.

I hesitated and Trico stopped behind me, waiting to continue onward. But I had something else in mind, and it would only take a second.

"You don't scare me!" I shouted into the distance, even though my bold statement was false. Just like the guards, the Master of the Valley had already proven that it was even more terrifying in real life than in the game. It could apparently  _talk_ now, at least in my dreams (or visions, whatever they were) and it had never talked before—it was just a giant, green blob. If it had heard me, I hoped that my voice sounded braver than how I felt; I honestly didn't know what I would do when it would be time to face the ominous entity.

"We're going to find him!" I yelled again with a fist held up high for good measure.

If it was the last thing we did, Trico and I were going to find that boy. Wherever he was, I hoped that he was safe, at least. But unfortunately, I doubted that  _anywhere_  was safe in the Last Guardian world with how many ruins and obstacles there were, also taking the guards into account. We still had to keep in mind the other Tricos that could be near, just waiting to attack. I knew that they weren't really 'evil' and couldn't control themselves while under the Master's influence, but they were still dangerous unless we were able to free them somehow. Now that I thought about it, maybe there was a way we could free them earlier instead of at the end by figuring out how to take their masks off...

The fire torches flickered suddenly. They flickered in the direction that the wind was blowing to the left, which was almost right in my face. I nearly jumped three feet in the air when they  _vanished,_  and the wind seemed to stop. Then all was quiet...even the birds stopped chirping. Trico growled, his hackles still slightly raised from when we had seen the two other Tricos.

Had the Master of the Valley actually heard me...? I shuddered, a cold chill piercing every inch of my body.

_No. It was probably just the wind,_  I tried to convince myself, failing miserably.

"Alright, buddy, let's get out of here," I told Trico, beginning to take my first steps into the building. I moved to the right to get to a stone pillar that I needed to climb up. I walked slowly towards the edge where a gap awaited me to jump across.

Trico jumped first onto the second pillar I needed to get to, ready to help me reach the level above. I glanced down at the gap, sighing and closing my eyes (a bad habit I really should break in situations where I had to jump) But in reality, closing my eyes only helped me get over my fear of heights in the first place.

I made it safely to the other stone pillar, and the giant cat-dog bent his large head over the side to peek down at me. His tail hung over the edge on the opposite side where I could grab it, and I did so with some reluctance. If I let go by accident, the height would be enough to sprain an ankle. Trico suddenly moved his large form to the right, his tail swaying back and forth!

I screamed, my little body flailing helplessly in midair. I squeezed my eyes shut again, and it seemed like an eternity before his tail settled down and held still enough for me to climb up. I made my way carefully across his back up to his head. Blue butterflies circled around his horns and I grinned, knowing that they had to mean there were barrels of toothpaste nearby. I knew exactly where to look, hopping off of Trico's head down onto the hard stone platform below. I moved to the left to enter a small, open doorway where a shiny blue barrel rested. It glinted in the shadows, butterflies illuminating the darkness alongside Trico's snack.

_My snack._  It was really my breakfast, since I still hadn't had anything to eat besides drinking water. I bent down to grab the barrel, taking a swipe of the blue energy with a single finger. I licked it off and swallowed, feeling refreshed almost immediately after like I'd just eaten a normal energy bar. The energizing effect was a lot quicker, though, which was just as good. I needed a pick me up!

The butterflies followed me to a wooden bridge that I had to cross. It was broken in the middle, but the gap wasn't too bad. I tossed the barrel to the other side, pleased when it didn't fall like I'd expected; normally I have terrible aim when it comes to throwing things.

A second barrel was waiting across the gap, which I had no trouble just bringing my legs over instead of having to jump. It was a cinch compared to all the others I would have to deal with later on! Before getting the second barrel, I took the first that I had found in the direction of Trico where he was sitting and waiting patiently on his perch like a cat on a mini play tower. His normally dark eyes turned yellow once they made a connection with the barrel I was holding, and his ears instantly perked up.

"Think you can catch your toothpaste from there?" I questioned with a grin. He chirped in response to the word 'toothpaste,' begging me to give him his tasty treat.

I flung the barrel, completely expecting him to catch it. Instead, I was left dumbfounded when he  _missed_  and it soared into the bottomless gray pit below!

I chuckled in embarrassment, shrugging my shoulders while Trico just stared down, watching his treat fall into the foggy abyss with no chance of ever getting it back.

He turned his head towards me, his eyes continuing to glow yellow as if I still had the barrel—he knew there was another one nearby, one that I hoped he would catch the next time I threw it.

"Oops," I said apologetically. "But there's still one more!"

I went back in the opposite direction where the last barrel was waiting and picked it up, turning around again to face Trico. He rumbled, waiting impatiently for me to try and throw the second treat.

"Ready?" I asked. Who was I kidding? He was _already_  ready!

We couldn't waste anymore time trying to catch barrels, so I did my best to aim it directly at his mouth where he would be able to snatch it up. Then I threw my arms outward and... _bullseye!_  Trico caught the barrel at last, crunching it down to bits and pieces; I was pleased with myself that I'd finally done at least _something_  right.

Turning my attention to the gate that needed to be opened, I moved towards a small flight of stairs that I could walk down. A broken glass eye rested in the middle of the platform, and I realized that it was going to be tricky to get around. I couldn't cut my vulnerable, bare feet; they were already sore enough as it was! I stood close to the eye, but not close enough so I could touch it. I glanced this way and that around the dimly lit room, trying to find another way around. There was none!

Trico was still sitting on his perch, waiting patiently now with his head tilted to the side. His eyes glowed a faint pink at the sight of the broken eye, but he didn't growl. I guessed that it was too far away to be of any real worry to him, especially since it was already broken. I spotted a lever straight ahead on the other side of the platform that I needed to reach. I stared at it longingly, desperately wishing that I had the ability to hover. It seemed that I had no choice but to go across...

Carefully, I took a step towards the glass. It was absolutely crazy, but I placed one foot gently onto the cool, smooth surface to see how strong it was. Maybe it wouldn't crack underneath my weight?

Success!

I couldn't help but grin, ecstatic that I didn't have to worry about my feet being sliced. The glass was strong enough to hold itself together, so all I had to do was avoid the pieces that had already been broken off, which really  _would_  be something to worry about if I accidentally stepped on them. Finally, I was in front of the lever that I had to pull in order to open the gate. I grunted, pushing it down.

The gate creaked and opened, and the glass eye didn't stand a chance. It toppled over the edge into the great unknown, paving the way for a certain giant griffin creature that was otherwise terrified of its presence.

I moved out of the way so Trico could leap over and before I knew it, we were in the next room where a second flight of stairs awaited us. I moved ahead through the corridors, Trico following close behind. He grumbled, his talons clicking along the old stone. I continued going straight, making a right turn when we came upon a strange, blue-tinted room that looked more like a cave of some sort.

This was the room where there were more guards just waiting to jump out and attack. Trico was wary, his steps becoming slower until he stopped completely at the edge of the platform ahead of us. Unfortunately, stairs weren't an option now, and it was a bit too high for me to just jump down like the boy normally did.

"Think you can help me out a little?" I asked Trico. The giant simply stood in place, refusing to go any further. He knew what was waiting down there just like I did!

Looking to the far right, I could see a brighter colored blue glinting in the faded light. Another barrel!

"Want some more toothpaste?" I questioned. He snorted at the mention of his favorite word. I nodded, patting my knees with my hands when he finally started moving forward.

"Yes, that's it! Good boy!" I praised, ecstatic that he was actually listening.

Or maybe...not.

He stopped again and shook his head, taking a step beck with his ears flat; it looked like I was going to have to think of another solution. He definitely wasn't as brave as I had been when I'd just gone for it, running into the hallway to wake the first guards that we had encountered.

I weighed my options, glancing down and wondering if I really should just jump. But I didn't want to get a sprained ankle; then I wouldn't be able to complete the game with what entailed! I spotted a rock that lay to the right side of me. It was big, but it wasn't  _too_  big. Maybe I could pick it up and get Trico's attention with it somehow...? It was worth a try. Bending down, I grabbed the rock in one hand. Trico lowered his head to sniff at it like it was some kind of toy, which was just what I wanted.

When I raised the rock and moved it to the right, Trico's dark eyes followed. When I moved it to the left, his eyes trailed along as if they were stuck to the rock like glue.

It finally clicked: the rock was like a  _ball!_  Maybe I could have Trico associate the word 'ball' with rocks; it could come in handy!

"You want it? You want the ball?" I said in a high pitched tone, making my voice sound as excited as I possibly could. Trico's ears perked up at the word as if he already knew what it meant. I took a step forward with the rock in hand and he took a step as well, willing to follow the rock to the ends of the earth.

With that, I threw the big 'ball' into the cavern. "Go get it!"

Trico surged forward so fast that I had to bend down in order to avoid being shoved over the edge. I grinned, extremely pleased that I'd actually gotten the beast to stop worrying about the guards enough to hop down below. Now it was okay to simply jump onto his back, making the situation safer for me so I didn't have to fall as far. I sat over the edge of the stone platform and used my hands to slide myself off, landing softly atop a pillow of feathers.

Trico snorted, trying to get at the rock where it had fallen by poking it with his large talons. His fun was stopped short, however, when certain green-eyed guards made a sudden appearance.

There were three and they charged at us from both sides. Much to my horror, I could see that one of them was carrying a long, sharp  _spear!_  I'd forgotten that they would sometimes carry spears—the armour was going to try and shoot at Trico! I gripped onto his feathers with all my might to avoid falling off when he would begin attacking them—

Too late.

I hadn't grabbed on strongly enough, and it was then that I realized my mistake of using him in order to get down.

Before I knew it I was falling, dizziness overtaking me when I landed hard and nearly had my breath knocked out of me. I breathed in and out, trying to regain control of myself lest I literally fall into a panic. I could hardly see, my eyes blurry and head pounding. I was vaguely aware that something...or  _someone_  had wrapped their arms around me, and strange, green patterns that had begun to form weren't helping the situation.

When my head stopped pounding at last and I could make some sense of what was going on around me, I was greeted with the sight of a blue-rimmed door directly in my face.

_"Trico!"_  I screamed to the best of my ability, struggling to escape the guard's hold. It refused to let go, keeping a grip so firm I thought I was going to burst. To my terror, the door slid open behind the green symbols that filled my vision, and I could just barely make out what looked like a shining blue and white landscape.

I jerked in response to a voice that suddenly made itself known, thinking for a minute that Trico himself had somehow responded. But no—

_"Help!"_

The voice sounded so young, so innocent...and absolutely  _terrified._  More importantly, why did it sound so hauntingly  _familiar?_

It only took me a split second to come to the realization that I'd  _just heard the **boy**  scream_ on the other side of the door!

An ear-piercing roar sounded from right behind me. The guard was caught completely... _off guard,_  and the world around me became a blur as I was tossed mercilessly to the opposite side, the armour faring no better.

"No, no, no! Wait!" I screeched in a complete panic. I didn't even notice my own pain from being hit by Trico's talons, desperate to keep the door open now that the guard had let go of me. Maybe I could just get in there, get the boy and get out!

But Trico had other ideas. He pounded the armour that had held me prisoner to the ground, shattering it to smithereens. The door slid back shut just as quickly as it had opened, and just like that...I lost my chance.

I had just found the boy, and just as quickly had lost my chance to try and rescue him.

Trico's cries brought me back to the present. The green patterns and three suits of armour were gone, but he was still spooked. I glanced back at the door, still so shocked by what I had just heard and witnessed that I could barely think clearly. I knew that I'd just lost my chance at something integral to beating the game, but I also knew that I had a more important issue at hand now—calming Trico down.

Once I managed to get my own bearings straight, I began to hum, continuing to move towards the startled beast. He growled at the guards that now lay listlessly below him in a dismembered mess, the sight of their demise not enough to reassure him. When his body loosened and his muscles relaxed, I placed a hand on one of his front legs, never stopping my humming. I had reached the main part of the song by now, and it seemed to be Trico's favorite.

At last, his growls ceased and he turned his attention away from the fallen guards, heading to where I had seen the new barrel of toothpaste.

I tried to wrap my mind around what I had just seen and  _heard_  while Trico munched on his treat.

Before I could become too wrapped up in my thinking, I spotted a shiny glint coming off of his back.

There was a spear lodged inside!  _How dare those nasty suits of armour hurt my Trico!_

I grimaced, knowing that I had to pull it out. As Trico finished his meal, I reached up to grab a handful of feathers until I was next to the spear. He turned his head to try and see what I was doing, and I looked back. I stared directly into his puzzled expression, wishing I could tell him what I was about to do and that it would only hurt for a second.

"Hold still," I said to him like I had done the first time I'd pulled a spear out of his leg when we had first met. He groaned when I circled my hands around the sharp object, a pang of regret hitting me that I was going to have to hurt him in the process.

I gripped the spear tightly as I could, wanting to make it quick. Then I  _yanked_  and Trico squeaked in pain, sitting on his haunches. The spear flew down to the floor, and I slid off his back with (some) ease.

As an experiment, I reached down to see if I could pick up the spear. In the game, the boy had never been able to pick up any weapons to help Trico fight against the guards, only using his wit and speed to avoid them—and maybe pull their heads off when Trico knocked them down and they were defenseless.

But this was real life now, so maybe... _yes!_

I wrapped my left hand tightly around the spear, bringing it up to my chest.

So I was able to pick up spears now...I couldn't help but grin slyly. A weapon to protect myself was just what I needed, and maybe I could also help Trico battle against the guards if I mustered enough courage to try.

I sighed, a bit of relief pouring through me. Then I glanced back at the door, recalling what I had seen. I hadn't been able to make out any significant shapes; just a white-blue glob of nothing. But I'd definitely  _heard_  something, and that something sounded a lot like  _someone._

The boy...it  _had_  to be the boy that I'd heard!

I instantly headed to the left where the blue-rimmed door remained, determined to try and get it open. I pounded with my fists to no avail; the door wouldn't budge!

"Hey!" I screamed, hoping against all hope that if the boy really  _was_  in there, he would hear me and answer. "Anyone there?!"

Only silence met my ears.

What if he was still trapped inside? Was it only  _this_  certain door he was stuck in? I knew there were multiple others; maybe they were all connected and led to the same place?

I decided on the latter, that all the doors had to be connected. In one of the final scenes of the game, the boy and Trico had to fight off what had seemed like a hundred guards at once—guards that had kept coming through the very same doors such as this one.

Then there came the issue of actually _going_  into one of the doors to save the boy himself.

It was crazy! Insane! So crazy it just might work...

Trico knelt down to nuzzle my face, and I made sure to keep the spear I was holding away from where it could poke him by accident. Unlike the night before, I didn't shy away from his affection, instead reaching my free hand up to stroke him gently across his nose. He chirped at my touch, a soft purr escaping and eyes closing in content.

The fact that I finally had a lead as to where the boy might be hidden sent a surge of excitement and hope rushing through me.

I was one step closer to getting back home!


	10. Chapter 10

I stayed by the door for a few moments, reluctant to leave. I'd just heard the boy, so I figured that I should wait for a response. I pounded the door again and shouted out for him, but still there was no answer.

The only noise in the room was Trico with his light growls and rumbles, waiting for me to make my next move. A thought suddenly occurred to me, and I wondered why I hadn't thought about it before...

"Do you remember him?" I asked, glancing up at Trico. He stared back in a sitting position. "Do you remember the boy?"

I don't know why I expected an answer. He just continued to sit and look back at me, hardly giving any indication that he'd understood my question. Well, if  _I_  could remember the boy, then maybe he could, too. I remembered  _everything_  about The Last Guardian—that it was a game, and that I wasn't supposed to be here. It wasn't natural! Perhaps Trico could remember his long lost friend, but he didn't have any clue that he wasn't supposed to be real, or that I came from an entirely different universe where none of these things were supposed to happen...or so I'd thought.

"Come on," I said with a sigh, waving my hand in the direction of the next platform that we needed to climb. It was high, but there were stone pillars with blue markings around them that I could use to get up easily. Sadly, I had to leave my newly acquired spear behind. I set the pointy weapon onto the ground, hesitant to leave it. But I couldn't be holding it with me the entire time, especially since I would have to be using both of my hands. I told myself that I could always get a new spear from a fallen guard, though; it was comforting just knowing that I was able to pick them up now.

Trico stood still and allowed me to climb up his body. I reached an arm out towards the first ledge, grabbing it with one hand and then another until I was hanging in midair. I lifted myself up to the second ledge and then turned to the right where I would need to jump off to the platform. Jumping wasn't entirely needed, however—there was a railing that I could use to simply step on with extra care, catching my balance so I could step onto the floor and run a ways ahead for fear that Trico would crush me.

I heard a heavy  _pound_  from behind me and didn't have to look to see that Tirco had jumped onto the platform. We headed straight towards a dimly lit corridor, then turned right until we could go no further. There was a big drop with water waiting down below!

It wasn't deep enough so I could try to dive—the boy had waded waist-deep. Trico sniffed the damp air, gazing into the pool and then looking at me as if I was going to jump right in. I couldn't do it, but Trico was certainly capable. Knowing the beast though, he was too hesitant because of what awaited us...more of the glowing green-eyed soldiers that attacked in the previous room. I wasn't looking forward to getting in the water and having to avoid them! But maybe I didn't have to...

Luckily the corridor had numerous different types of rocks lying about, or 'balls' as Trico now thought they were thanks to my clever word association technique. It probably wasn't a good idea to try and use Trico to get down again like last time; he was going to go into a frenzy at the sight of the sentries and smash them to bits! I'd fallen off before, but this time...I was ready.

"Want one?" I asked, bending downwards to pick up a medium-sized, hard and round stone. The griffin hybrid's nose twitched, his large ears standing straight up and at attention.

"That's it! You want the ball?" I said in my ridiculous high pitched tone. I raised the rock up and then brought it back down, Trico's gaze mimicking my movements. When I was certain I had his full focus, I cast the rock and covered my head for protection as he swooped overhead.

Gladly using his back as a cushion, I grabbed handfuls of feathers with both hands and held on tight as I could, clamping my grip harder than was humanly possible. I braced myself, closing my eyes to stop the world from blurring when Trico caught sight of his enemies and flared.

He bounced beneath my hold in a hop and snarled to no end. Peeking open one eye, I saw that he literally had the upper hand over one of two guards, lifting a sharp talon to smack its soulless body to pieces. The second guard kept coming, blissfully unaware of its own doom. Just as soon as it turned the corner to charge Trico, it barely had enough time to even flinch before my protector swiftly took its life away.

Only when both guards were gone did I open my other eye, but I wasn't about to sigh in relief yet. Trico was still distressed from his battle and in need of a soothing tune. I immediately complied, beginning the start of his theme. His thrashes quieted and his flattened ears shot up.

At that moment, I finally realized that I'd done the impossible.

I'd managed to hold on the entire time that Trico had faced the guards! If I hadn't been so nervous about the other Tricos being near, I would have screamed with triumph in light of my miraculous perseverance. But the water-filled hall was pitch quiet, and I didn't want to risk disturbing anything that could be lurking in the shadows.

A small set of stairs rested to the right. Trico let out a  _ **moooo**_  and followed me from behind, his feet splashing in the water. With a ladder straight ahead, I was able to use it to get to the top floor. It was higher than the other ladders I'd used so far, so (again) I couldn't help but close my eyes and hope I didn't lose my grip.

To the left, two metal-barred windows allowed just the tiniest bit of sun to flow through and if I listened carefully enough, the faintest sound of birds chirping could be heard in the foggy distance from outside. A few more stairs and steps led into yet another narrow corridor, thankfully water free unlike the last.

Wait a second... _oh, no._  This was the part where Trico's tail would get stuck in the gate that was going to slam down on it!

"Trico, stay," I told him firmly, pointing a finger down at the ground. He simply stood there and blinked, completely unaware that something awful was going to happen to him soon. I had to see if there was a way we could avoid it!

"Stay," I said again even more firmly this time. Trico warbled softly as if in response. Trusting that he would stay put, I moved ahead through the open gate that would topple down on his tail. I cringed at how much more horrible it was going to be in real life than in the game.

Without warning, a  ** _clank_**  suddenly sounded. My eyes widened at one of the most heart-wrenching sounds I'd ever heard, and I turned to see Trico struggling with all his might to break free from the gate that was destined to fall on his tail no matter what I did.

How could I have been so stupid to think he would actually stay?!

Trico made an attempt to turn around and try to get at his trapped appendage. Then, much to my horror, he tried to pull it free. If he succeeded, he was only going to yank it apart!

"No!" I shouted, lifting both of my hands up. Trico whimpered, lowering himself to my level with his ears flat against his head.

"Stay still," I said, gently rubbing his nose.

My comforting touch didn't console him for long. He strained himself again, his chirps coming out in cries as he desperately tried to reach and claw the gate.

He thrashed as though he was fighting off the guards, and it was then I knew that I had no choice but to leave him and get his tail un-stuck before he did something to hurt himself even more!

Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted two spears lying on the stone ground, and for a split second I thought about picking one up to defend myself against a certain guard that I would be forced to face. But I didn't have time; Trico needed me!

There was a second gate that blended very well into its surroundings. If you didn't look hard enough, you would think it was just another wall that you weren't able to climb. The stone hallway was just a dead end, so you had to find a lever in order to open the seemingly invisible gate.

I ran as fast as my tired legs would allow, then turned to the left into a mini room. A  _yowl_  echoed, and I realized that it must have been Trico trying to follow me. His whines were the worst, tugging at my heartstrings like I was the one trapped under a heavy gate.

I crept further into the small room, not daring to make eye contact with what I knew was yet another guard waiting in the corner to grab me.

I couldn't do this! As soon as I pulled the lever that would open the next gate I needed to get through, the guard would come to life and chase me into a hall with even  _more_  guards! It was scary enough when it was just  _one_  standing there!

But the longer I didn't do anything, the longer Trico was going to be in pain. He was no longer a virtual animal, so his pain was now real. My pity pangs that I'd felt for him as nothing but a player (or watcher of walkthroughs) had just intensified tenfold.

_You can do this,_  I told myself with as much confidence as I could muster.

I took a deep breath, bracing myself for the horrid moment that was about to happen. There was nothing I could do to avoid it, so why worry so much about  _trying_  to avoid it?

With that final thought in mind, I grunted and forced the lever down. Not really thinking, I ran blindly in what I assumed was the direction of the next hall that I needed to get into.

Before I knew it, a plethora of extra guards had woken and were following the first that was right on my trail.

"Trico!" I screamed, my heart hammering and head pounding so much that I didn't really think that maybe he wouldn't be able to help me in his current situation.

I raced in his direction anyway, so determined to get away from the army chasing after me that I wasn't thinking straight at all when I faintly decided to hide behind Trico. I covered my head on instinct, backing up far against the gate as I could and sliding down to my knees in pure panic. Trico's roars nearly snapped my eardrums, sharp ringing piercing through my skull at the clanks as Trico tore apart the already-lifeless armour.

Only when I heard nothing but his angry screeches that signified the end of the fight did I lower my hands from my protective hold, looking up to find a mess of bodies and heads strewn across a small puddle of water at the front of his feet.

My heart still pounding like no tomorrow, I remained in my sitting position curled up against the far side of the wall, humming so quietly in my own distress that I doubted Trico heard even with his large ears. To my surprise, his thrashes eventually lessened and he finally stilled. Gathering enough courage just to stand on wobbly legs, I placed an unsteady hand on his silky feathers in an attempt to calm my own nerves.

I could have easily gotten grabbed by a guard and then tossed into a door. I'd just discovered that the boy was possibly trapped inside them and my plan was to—eventually—go inside myself to find him. But I wasn't ready, and maybe I never  _would_  be ready. Now was not a good time to get stuck in a door, though. There were more important matters at hand, the number one priority being to free Trico's tail. I couldn't just abandon him to go save someone that I wasn't even sure would be where I thought he was!

"I'll get you out of there in no time," I told Trico, my muscles relaxing at last in conjunction with his own. With my breathing finally at a normal pace again, I was able to concentrate and go back down the hall until I was face to face with another ladder that was in need of a certain someone to climb it. I pushed myself up with my arms until I was standing on a very slim platform that almost seemed like a narrow cage.

I jogged lightly to the end, meeting another small set of stairs. I quickened my pace, running straight until I had to run down yet another small flight of steps. Trico howled, his large form close to the cage that blocked me from getting to him. The lever was just ahead and I instantly grabbed hold; it turned out that this particular lever was a lot harder to pull than the others since instead of pushing down, I had to pull the chain outward.

I pulled until I could pull no more, my arms screeching in protest and my chest burning an intense fire. Metal creaked and slammed when I released, and at last...

Trico was free!

His tail slid out from underneath the gate as he moved forward, his painful howls and moans finally quieting and my heart at rest knowing that he was no longer in any pain.

I ran back up the steps that I'd gone down, going in the opposite direction of where I had come so I could climb back down the ladder with ease.

It was Trico who spotted our last enemy first. He shrieked at the single creepy guard who stood at the end of the open hallway for no reason at all, charging headfirst so fast that it didn't even have a chance to flinch. He pounded the 'poor' thing into the wall where it exploded into a green gas of nothing.

Now in the sunlight, I could see Trico had gained another present from the opposing side—a spear stuck out from the right side of his chest. He was in too much of a panic from his last encounter, so I began to hum. My throat was beginning to get sore by now from screaming and repeating the same tune, but it was for Trico! I wasn't going to let him suffer!

I was pleasantly surprised when it didn't take as long for him to calm down; one thing I noticed was that I didn't have to pet him after I had finished humming his theme song. His body physically loosened and he sat, almost as if he knew I had to take out the spear and that it would be easier for me to climb up and reach it.

"This will only hurt for a second," I reassured him calmly, wrapping my hands around the sharp object. I pulled back with all my might, wanting to make it especially quick so it would be over with. Trico squealed and shook his head, but the pain was already over. No more spear in his chest! Except a bright, red smear was left in its place...

I shuddered at the blood stain. I've never fainted at the sight of blood before, but seeing it on Trico in the real world was unnerving. He'd achieved a stain on his leg from the very first spear I'd pulled out in the beginning, but I had forgotten all about it since it seemed that our playtime in the water had washed it all away.

In the game, the boy could simply wipe it off by petting his faithful companion. Now in real life, I didn't have a clue as to what I could use to wipe it with; I definitely wasn't going to use my hands!

The infamous broken bridge that we had to jump over was right in front of us, but I knew Trico wouldn't listen to anything I said unless I could start giving him commands like in the game. Or would it still work that way...?

Only one way to find out.

Trico chirped and I sighed, glancing towards a small gate that I could fit through on the left. I had no problem getting in, but Trico was far too big! I was always confused at this part in the game since it seemed like Trico had found another way to follow the boy into the courtyard area, but never understood just  _how_  he'd managed to get in.

It turned out that the gate was a lot like a doggie door that Trico could easily push himself against to open it outward, steadily crawling through on all fours.

A small stone jump was in our way, but Trico surpassed it with flying colors. It was a nice change from all the heights that I'd had to deal with so far, having no problem grabbing on, jumping up and then over into the next grassy area.

_The beast could not find a way forward, but we had come so far together. And in so doing, we had developed a bond. A mutual understanding that offered us a chance of escape..._

The boy's words rang through my head effortlessly. If only I had the mirror with me now so I could see how fast it would respond when I lifted it...but Trico still had it hidden inside his stomach. If only he would bring it back up like he'd done with me and the barrel!

Speaking of barrels...

There was a wooden box filled with four of them!

The blue butterflies had found us again. I stepped forward towards the box in the corner and had to do a double take when it seemed like...they were  _following_  me? I moved to the left and yes...the little winged creatures were actually  _following_  me! I moved to the right just to be sure, only to find that they trailed behind just as quick. When I stood in front of the box of barrels, they swarmed about the blue substance. I took a step back and they remained in place. Maybe I had just imagined it?

Trico rumbled, snapping me out of my thoughts. It was a little over lunchtime by now that I could tell, and we were both in need of refreshments, especially after all we had gone through with the gate and the guards. My mind was still fuzzy from it all, like none of it had ever happened, or like it had taken place years ago. It was just because of my never ending anxiety; I didn't want to face those guards ever again!

_Too bad,_  my mind laughed. Maybe I was finally starting to go crazy to the point of no return...I wouldn't be surprised.

I smacked myself out of it.

_**CRASH.** _

_What...?_  I blinked in confusion, looking back towards the box.

...Or what was left of it.

I blinked again to make sure that what I was seeing was real.

Trico had destroyed the box, and the four barrels were rolling everywhere!

I stopped one with the bottom of my foot before it could hit the wall.

_The beast had grown accustomed to my company. So accustomed, in fact, that it began to mimic my movements. I ran, jumped, capered, and cavorted. And in so doing, I learned something of what the beast might be encouraged to do._

Then it hit me. In a way, Trico had mimicked my slap!

"Are you making fun of me?" I asked with a frown. Trico nodded his head like he'd understood, and I couldn't help but chase the frown away and laugh.

I picked up the barrel I'd stopped with my foot, lifting a single finger to take a swipe of the beautiful, nourishing energy.

In less than seconds after I tasted the substance, I was full as if I'd just eaten an entire meal.

Trico wasted no time in eating up his own fill. By the time I'd finished my dinner, the other three barrels had already disappeared into his belly!

Now how was I going to get him to lift me up to the ledge? Maybe I could use the last remaining barrel to my advantage...

As I've said before when I accidentally made Trico miss one of his barrels, I have _terrible_  aim when it comes to throwing things. The barrels were light enough, but hard to point in a certain direction and have them stay that way. Without Trico, it would otherwise be impossible to try and throw it to the top of the ledge, or even the tall white pillar that was in the middle of the yard.

He yawned like a motor and sat, his eyes trained on the treat that I held. Immediately, I used the opportunity to begin climbing up his back with the barrel under one arm and my free hand gripping his feathers on the way to his head. All the while, he attempted to turn around and look at what I was holding. After an eternity had passed, I finally made it to the top of his head!

_What am I doing?_  I groaned to myself, my stomach dropping at the uneasy height. But there was no other way to get up! I had to use Trico's tall form to my advantage!

Taking extra care not to drop the barrel, I did my best to balance on the beast's ever-moving head. It just wouldn't stay still for one reason or another, so such a feat was very difficult.

His head facing to the left, I lifted my arms and...and...!

_Yes!_  The toothpaste stuck the landing, rolling along the pebbly stairs. Trico grumbled, chirping at how high his barrel had suddenly gone. Just like I'd hoped he would, he lifted his front feet against the side of the wall!

Thankfully I was more than prepared, holding on tightly as possible so I wouldn't tumble back down to where I had started. Now that Trico was standing up on his hind legs, I could easily hop off of his head to get the barrel, feed it to him, and then get to where I needed to be. I was shocked that my plan had actually worked!

All that mattered now was climbing up the stairs. Trico whined in a howl from behind me, worried as to where I was going.

"Hang on, buddy!" I called to him, running through an open hole that led outside to a tall platform. I could see the incomplete bridge all the way up from where I stood, and Trico was waiting for me to use the lever that was sitting on the platform to let him out through the gate below. I gladly did as I had to, doing my best to pay no mind to exactly how  _high_  I was.

I barely put my hands on the lever and started to pull downwards when suddenly, I heard a big—

**_THUD_ **

...from behind me.

Trico was still waiting for me to open the gate, so it couldn't have been my faithful, friendly companion. He snarled, still stuck.

Eyes widening, I dared to turn around.

The creature was massive just like my Trico. It had darker, brown colored feathers now that I could see it closer instead of up high from a tall structure like before. It had pink, glowing eyes and a black mask that had an assortment of green patterns lining its surface, those which matched two fully grown horns.

The creature sat menacingly atop a perch just next to the broken bridge, making direct eye contact with me. I was so mesmerized that I couldn't look away, but looking into its eyes was a bad idea! It would think that I was making a challenge!

"Trico..." I squeaked in a whisper. "Now would be a good time to break through that gate."


	11. Chapter 11

_No sudden movements,_  my mind screamed. I was frozen. I couldn't move even if I wanted to!

I remained in place, slightly tempted to try and pull the lever behind me. The only problem was that there was a gigantic winged monster in front of me, and it was slowly starting to move, hopping off of its perch to saunter in my direction.

It took everything I had not to scream my head off. Maybe it was like that scene in Jurassic Park and all I had to do was stay still so the Trico wouldn't see me. Unfortunately, Tricos have much better eyesight than a T-Rex, especially when they were being controlled by the Master.

The creature was directly in front of me now. Who knew the color pink could be so terrifying? I tried my best to rip my eyes away from the beast's mesmerizing gaze, but my attempts were futile. I couldn't even close my own eyes!

Its hot breath scorched my skin as it began to...sniff me? It didn't screech or roar, which made my ears happy; I probably would have gone deaf if it had. But I thought for sure that my heart was going to burst out of my chest. It was beating so loudly I could hear it with my ears, and if  _I_  could hear it, then the beast probably could, too.

I was faintly aware of my Trico down below reaching his talons through the gate, trying desperately in vain to get it open but to no avail; such a feat was impossible with the way he had to crouch due to the low ceiling inside the tunnel that led to the grassy courtyard.

He rumbled a low, threatening growl, but the evil Trico paid him no mind, going about its business.

This wasn't the original evil Trico. This was the  _new_  evil Trico...maybe it was more forgiving...?

I was proven wrong when it suddenly opened its mouth so wide that I could see inside its hollow, troubled soul, and it was then that I finally managed to snap my eyes closed to prepare myself for the inevitable end.

What a way to go...

It roared then, but the roar was not as deafening as I'd thought it was going to be. It didn't sound as close for some reason...

Confused and slightly relieved all at once, curiosity got the better of me and I peeked open one eye, then another when I didn't see brown feathers blocking my view.

To my surprise, the Trico had moved far away from me, and its head shot backwards like it had been struck. Blue circles akin to a hypnotizing spinning wheel began to sprout from its two teal horns, and the beast stayed still for a moment. It reared up, bucking like a horse as if to try and rid itself of the metal armour that was clad harshly across its back. It shook its head wildly, but the mask remained and the blue circles only seemed to broadcast more strongly.

Finally, the Trico gave in. Its shakes settled and it stood still again, as if waiting for a command to be given. Only when it leaped over the halved bridge, onto the side of the building across from us and launched out of sight with large wings spread did I collapse in total and complete  _relief._

I didn't even care that I'd landed on hard stone, or the fact that the tattoos on the backs of both my hands were glowing white again, or that my left arm had started to glow white, as well. I just laid there on the top of the platform, staring up at the bright yet foggy sky and hardly believing my luck. The Master of the Valley had called the evil beast away before it could have had a chance to eat me!

But why? It didn't make sense...didn't the Master want me gone?

_You're not going anywhere,_  its cruel voice echoed. Maybe it just earned some sick enjoyment by watching me suffer and tricking me into thinking that I was going to be eaten.

I sighed, my limbs shaking so much that I could barely stand or control my hands when I placed them on the lever to release Trico. He rumbled as he moved forward out of the gate. Instead of getting me down right away, his first objective was to sniff where the evil Trico had been. His head lowered and his nose twitched, his ears flicking back and forth.

"Uhhh, Trico...a little help here?" I said, my voice shaking along with my body. He was too far away for me to just jump down on him!

The cat bird breached onto his hind legs, his still-injured wings unable to become airborne and causing a mess of feathers to fly everywhere. He screeched into the open sky after the brown Trico, and I barely noticed when a single gray feather settled on the top of my head. I reached up to grab it, an idea forming.

"Trico, come," I said with a little more authority now that I was able to think somewhat straight. I held the feather as if it were a treat, which definitely managed to get Trico's attention. He moved closer to me to sniff at what I was holding, trying to see if it was anything he could eat.

"Sorry, no toothpaste," I apologized. He snorted, still determined to see what was in my hand. With his head so close to the platform, I could easily step on so we could move forward.

"It's just one of your feathers," I said, reaching towards his nose to tickle him with the soft object. His nose twitched and his head jerked, nearly causing me to fall over. I held on tight, which I was (almost) an expert at by now, especially after Trico had fought the guards in the water.

Glancing up, it seemed that the sky was clear of any other Tricos that could possibly be nearby. My gaze rested upon the bridge, and it was then that I realized I had a new issue to face: getting my Trico to jump over it. I could no longer press a button that would tell him to make a leap, and he wasn't going to listen to my voice commands alone like a dog.

The feather still in my hand, Trico lifted his head to try and sniff at it again. Eyes widening in realization, I moved the feather a little to the right—Trico's gaze followed. Curious to see if it would work once more, I moved the feather a little to the left. Still, Trico's gaze followed, and he nibbled in midair as if he was eating an invisible barrel.

He was trying to get the feather; I could use the feather to point him in the right direction! Why hadn't I thought of that before?! I had an endless amount of feathers at my disposal!

I couldn't help but grin slightly, pointing the feather outwards in a straight line just over the curious beast's head. He rumbled and his attention caught onto the bridge, taking a step forward.

It was working, it was  _working!_

Trico positioned himself to jump, bending slightly and wings extending the slightest bit. I instantly squeezed my eyes shut, refusing to open either of them until we were safe on the other side of the bridge. This was crazy...it was never going to work!

I didn't know how much time passed before we leaped. I expected the earth to spin and make me sick behind closed eyes, but to my shock, none of that happened. Everything was surprisingly too still for us to be moving, let alone jumping.

Maybe Trico had turned his attention to something else and I would have to rip him away from whatever it was that had caught it?

He was standing there in his jump-ready position, head turned slightly so he was able to see me on his back.

I hesitated for a moment, hardly believing what was happening.

"Are...are you...giving me a  _warning?"_  I asked in disbelief. Trico's ears twitched and I could have sworn that he actually smiled. He never broke eye contact with me, waiting for a signal that it was okay to jump.

I didn't need the mirror then to feel an invisible yet tangible bond, a pleasant warmth swelling in my chest. I was sure that if I had possessed it in that moment, the reflective shield would have responded faster than ever before. I had no idea why Trico had suddenly decided to give me a warning before he jumped. Maybe he'd felt my distress over meeting the second evil Trico and decided that I'd had enough not-warnings for today.

A smile stretched from ear to ear, and I pointed the feather that I still gripped tightly straight ahead.

"Onward!" I shouted with newfound confidence and appreciation for such a magnificent being. Trico turned away from me, locking his full attention onto the feather. He pushed his hind legs forward and before I knew it, we were finally soaring over the bridge with the sun in my face, the wind in my hair—

I hadn't noticed that I'd kept my eyes open the entire time until we landed safely on the other side.

"Alright, Trico...I know there's some more toothpaste up on that ledge," I said, glancing to the right. Lifting the feather, I pointed it towards the direction where Trico needed to get on his hind legs in order for me to throw the barrel to him. This time, I was better prepared than the first when I'd used Trico's height to my advantage. I remained in a sitting position so I wouldn't wobble as much, keeping both hands secure as possible. I gripped the single feather even tighter, not wanting to lose my new 'laser pointer.' I could always get a new feather from Trico, but I didn't want to hurt him on purpose in any way. It was also the first feather that had fallen right to me, so it was special. I was going to hold onto it for as long as I could!

I stood at the edge of the ledge and bent down to pick up the barrel. When I turned back around, Trico's eyes had transformed from a dark black to shining yellow, the indication that he knew food was coming.

"You want your toothpaste?" I asked with a small grin. I could have sworn that he nodded in response, growling a definite yes.

Aiming the best that I could towards his mouth, I tossed the barrel. It wasn't that big of a distance, so he was easily able to snatch it up. The bright, blue substance disappeared into his mouth and he chomped almost like a car being crushed. For a creature that didn't have any—or very little—teeth to begin with, it sounded a lot like he  _did._  Before Trico could go back down on all fours, I crawled onto his head again, pointing the feather to the left side. In a single bounce he was up on two feet and I was able to get on the next ledge just by bringing one foot over and then the other.

Trico snorted, landing back down to all fours. To my dismay, he started to go right again. But I was still stuck on the left ledge!

"Trico, come," I said firmly, holding up the feather. The griffin cat turned himself back around to the right side, catching sight of the feather in my hand.

"Good boy," I praised in a high pitched tone. While I still had his attention, I raised the feather up and pointed it in the direction of another bridge. This one was not as big as the first would have been if it hadn't been broken. It reached barely halfway so I couldn't jump to it—I was going to need Trico's outstanding height yet again in order to make it over! The only problem was getting him in between the ledge and the bridge. It wasn't really a problem now though, since I still had his full attention on the feather. I reached my arm out, pointing the feather outwards along with it towards the wooden bridge.

Trico stared for a second and then—

I may have made it over the first broken bridge in one piece, but jumping was still iffy. I just couldn't look as I used Trico's head as a stepping stone to get to the other side! I nearly lost my balance when my feet hit the bridge, but somehow,  _miraculously_  managed to keep myself from falling. When I looked over my shoulder, Trico was pawing at the large, barred and wooden door that would block him from coming to my rescue in the next area. I shuddered, not even wanting to think about what lay ahead. I just had to get there first...

"I'll see you in the next room!" I called to Trico. If he'd heard me, he didn't care, going back to pawing at the door.

With that, I moved quickly up the non-broken wooden steps, running into another narrow cage-like outside hall until I came across one of my worst nightmares: a plank that stretched in a downward motion to a tight corner of the building wall below.

"Please don't snap, please don't snap," I whispered, taking one step forward. The wooden plank creaked and groaned, but otherwise nothing happened. Gaining more confidence, I took another step and another until I finally made it to a 'beautiful,' very narrow corner. Looking up, I could see a tiny hole that only I was big enough to fit through. A small ledge allowed me to pick myself up, and I made sure to keep a tight grip on Trico's feather so it wouldn't float all the way down what seemed like an endless drop.

I jumped up, grabbing hold of the entrance to the miniature hole. Before going out on the other side, I decided to take my time and just lay there inside the dark space. How was I going to do this? I was going to get out on the other side just to be greeted with an endless supply of wooden beams—wooden beams that I wouldn't even be able to use to get down from a  _very_  high spot in the building.

If I strained my hearing, the sad, echoing  ** _mooooos_**  of Trico reached my ears. He missed me and wanted me back, but we wouldn't be reunited until I opened the heavy door with the lever chain!

It was only until I thought I saw something big crawling next to me did I nearly jump back up to hit my head on the terrifyingly low ceiling, immediately deciding to just go with the flow to see what would happen. I braced myself for the worst and exited the hole, standing on two feet.

xxxx

It was high. It was  _extremely_  high. The wooden beams I had to cross were right in front of me, and I had to drop down on them to get a start at moving forward. But there wasn't any place to go _but_  forward; the boy had been forced to drop and sprain an ankle, but at this nauseating height, I wouldn't live to see the next day!

Did I mention the two guards waiting down below? There were two bright, white lights moving in circles. These guards were the kind who instead of standing, preferred to just sit and circle until they caught a deer in the headlights, and only then did they spring up and leap into action. I didn't know what was scarier: the guards that stood and waited, or the guards that sat and waited.

I went with both.

Sighing, I glanced frantically every which way around the room, studying every wooden beam that I could see from where I stood. The boy had had no choice but to fall, so I had no choice but to fall.

Well, I definitely wasn't going to fall from  _this_  high. I also definitely wasn't going to fall, break a leg, and then get caught by one of the two guards waiting eagerly below.

But just  _how_  was I going to get down? My mind brought forth the answer in a picture—a picture of Trico pawing at the door before I had come in. Maybe there was a way to get him to bust through? If I could get him to do that, then I could safely use the beams to drop down onto his back and be done with it.

Now how was I going to get him to burst through a door as big as this one?

My acting skills weren't that great. But maybe if I could sound convincing enough...

I screamed as loud as my lungs would allow, attempting to sound as panicked and afraid as I possibly could. I screeched and hollered as if there was someone out to get me, which technically there  _was_  with how the guards lingered below. I just  _wasn't_  going to risk falling that far; I wasn't like the boy, who would just limp about for a bit and then start running again. I really  _would_  break a leg at this height!

Straining my hearing, there were scratching sounds coming from the door—scratching that sounded like it was coming from a certain gigantic, winged beast.

The door burst outwards, sending such debris flying everywhere that I was actually glad to be way on top of the wooden beams.

Trico went for the first guard and then the second. If I had thought it was terrifying to see him so angry up close, it was somehow even more terrifying to watch from above.

Soon enough, both guards were no more.

His angered cries went on for longer than normal. At first I assumed that it was because I was so high up and couldn't pet him or hum from where I was, but his cries went on for what seemed like hours. I had been so mesmerized by his strength and power that it never dawned on me before, but I finally realized that I had to call out his name when he began to circle in a frantic motion as if he was looking for something...or someone.

Did he think that the guards had gotten me for real? My heart throbbed at the idea that he'd be so distraught over losing me.

"Trico! Trico, it's okay! I'm up here!" I called down to him. When my voice reached his ears, they immediately perked up. His usually-dark eyes brightened as he looked up to see me, and his tail waggled as if a dog had just been reunited with its long lost master. He raised himself up on his hind feet to try and get me, and it was then that I knew it was okay for me to start climbing down the beams.

Trico groaned once I was safely atop his back, bobbing his head slightly up and down now that he could see I was alright.

"Thank you, buddy," I said gratefully, massaging his feathers with one hand; amazingly, I still carried the single feather in my other.

I lifted my arm, pointing it upwards where there was a ledge and a ladder I could climb. I was getting used to the ladders by now, so I didn't bother closing my eyes. I just continued going up until I reached the top where a bit of fog peeked out of an even  _smaller_  hole than the one I had gone through only moments ago. Trico whistled as I disappeared out of sight.

"Don't worry boy, it's okay—"

I wasn't able to finish my sentence thanks to a brand new problem—standing thousands of feet high— _outside_ —where there wasn't even a railing to keep me from falling off! The platform was the tiniest I'd ever seen, and glancing to the right, there was a ledge that circled around a pillar attached to the stony wall. In the game, the boy had the option to either stand or hang when it came to most of the ledges. But with this particular ledge, I didn't want to climb  _or_  hang!

_It's one or the other,_  my nearly-crazed mind prodded.

I decided to hang, much to my own shock. It was somehow easier than standing, especially when you could lose your footing and trip by accident.

I'd had Trico's feather with me this whole time, and I had no choice but to at least tie it tightly into my hair so the wind wouldn't blow it away.

I hung onto the ledge with both hands, until eventually I had to drop myself thanks to said ledge that wouldn't go any further around the pillar.

_Don't look down,_  I repeated to myself in a mantra.  _Just don't look down._

I let go and dropped—

And screamed when I only caught onto the bottom ledge with one hand!

_I can't do this, I can't do this, I can't do this,_  I sobbed. The metal ledge was slippery and I couldn't hold on for much longer! But looking to the far right, there was another tiny hole that I had to crawl through.

_Just get it over with,_  I encouraged, giving myself a mental push.  _It's either do this or hang here forever...or worse._

After what seemed like an eternity, I finally made it through the hole.

I was crying with exhaustion by this point. Everything was sore and my voice was already beginning to crack from screaming so much the first time, but I had to or else I wouldn't be able to get down!

What was worse—there were  _six_  guards sitting below the wooden beams this time, their search lights circling like hungry sharks in the ocean.

"Trico!" I screeched at the top of my lungs. "Trico, help!"

I was sure to make myself sound like a dying cat as much as possible but for some reason, it was taking Trico longer to break through the door...maybe because I was starting to lose my voice...?

_Come on, buddy,_  I thought in desperation, yelling louder than I could handle. My throat was going to snap!

The sound of wood suddenly splintered, the metal on the door creaking and groaning. Just like the first it finally gave into Trico's strength, and the giant sent it flying right into the awakening guards! From up above my spot on the wooden beams, I watched with a weary smile as the evil beings were thrown over the edge and ripped apart. But then I caught myself. Why was I smiling? Even though the guards were evil, I shouldn't be  _smiling_  as Trico sent them to their dooms. They had no idea what they were doing, possibly being mindlessly controlled by the Master of the Valley. They could even be the kidnapped children turned into guards for all I knew!

I instantly swept my smile away.

When all was said and done, I called for my faithful companion. He glanced up, wiggling in delight when he spotted me above.

xxxx

A lever, a terrifying drop, getting rid of a glass eye and a few jumps later, we made it to one of the more relaxing parts of the game.

Blue and yellow butterflies were  _everywhere,_  hovering over patches of grass. I climbed down Trico and headed towards a doggie door gate, sliding through and then waiting for him to make his way inside.

This was the area with the hanging chain that he would play with, and that I would use to open the next gate.

But we were both so, so tired...it would be the perfect place to sleep for the night.

I was so exhausted that I didn't even care that there might be all sorts of bugs where I chose to sit in the middle of the grass. Trico's talons clicked as he moved next to me, stretching his front legs out and lying himself down. He wrapped his entire body around my own like the first night we'd slept next to each other. I stroked the weary beast in content, snuggling deeper into my warm and soft blanket of feathers.

Outside there had been stars, but now, what seemed to be fireflies did their job of lighting up the darkness, for which I was grateful. Call me a child—which I now technically  _am_ —but I always slept with a night light on at home; I didn't like the dark.

"Look, Trico," I whispered, pointing at a shining ball of golden light as it hovered towards us.

Only loud snores erupted in response, almost blowing the butterflies and fireflies out of the ball park. I rolled my eyes, leaning closer against my fluffy 'pillow.' I laid awake, unable to stop thinking about the day's events, and when I had first gotten sucked into the game. Trico and I had gone through so much together in just forty eight hours! And what about the  _other_  Trico—the one with brown feathers? Were we going to see it again along with the original evil Trico? I was  _lucky_  to be alive right now;  _something_  had pulled the brown Trico away from me, and I might not be so lucky if we met again.

I could worry about that tomorrow.

Crickets chirped, gently lulling me into a peaceful, surprisingly nightmare-free sleep.

"Goodnight, Trico."


	12. Chapter 12

When I woke the next morning, I was almost disappointed to find myself still stuck in the world of The Last Guardian.

It was officially my third day of being stuck inside a video game!  _How_  and  _why_  questions still rang through my mind, though they were slowly beginning to lessen; slowly but surely. The most important thing on my mind was getting the boy, and then just getting the heck out of here. While I wasn't even sure if rescuing the boy or beating the game was going to send me home, it was my best bet.

It was better trying  _something_  than nothing.

The sound of metal clinking reached my ears, and I rolled over to the opposite side of how I had been sleeping. Trico had gotten up first again and was already playing with the metal, hanging chain!

Good thing I didn't have to climb this one; it was nice to have a break from chains for once. I could just use Trico to get up to where I needed to be, which was a wooden ledge that led to another room where I had to grab a pot of glowing blue energy.

Trico's feather was still tied in my hair. I must be quite a sight; a messy, dirty white and black robe, and tangled hair with a feather on the side.

"Did you have a good sleep?" I asked my companion in the middle of a yawn as he continued to swat at the chain. I had to be careful where I chose to go, or else I would be smacked by the sharp hook that hung off of it!

I figured that now was a good time as any to just get started again. While I was somewhat getting used to the fact that I had been sucked into a video game and was befriending an absolutely adorable mythical creature, there was nothing more I wanted than to just go home. I wanted my apartment back, my cozy bed back, my job back, and overall my  _life_  back! There was also the issue of going to the restroom. I realized that I hadn't gone to the bathroom in two days, and I was at a loss on how I'd managed to hold it in for so long. I hadn't yet gotten the urge to  _go,_  so I came to the conclusion that it must have something to do with the barrels that I was swiping energy from.

Well, not having to go to the bathroom was one less thing I had to worry about.

My stomach growled at the thought of barrels but I ignored it the best that I could, continuing to head in Trico's direction. He was still enamored with the chain, having the time of his life. I shook my head in exasperation, sighing as I glanced up at his large form that I would once again have to climb. I made it to the top in between his ears, and held on in preparation for what I was about to have him do.

"Trico," I said in an attempt to get the creature's attention. He flat out ignored me, never breaking away from his swinging toy. "Can you get me up there, please?" I questioned innocently, pointing up towards a  _very_  tall pillar. It was one of the highest in the game and I wasn't looking forward to having Trico jump up with me on his back, but I really just wanted to get it over with. Nothing beats a high jump first thing in the morning, right? It would wake me up and distract me from my newly growling stomach. I was craving the energy toothpaste by now!

"Hey," I said, giving Trico a firm but gentle pat. He shook his head like I was an annoying fly, causing a scream to escape when I flopped this way and that.

"Tricoooooo," I groaned, shoulders slumping in frustration. I had to get his attention somehow, but there was nothing I could use besides my feather, and I would much rather prefer to keep it safely tied into my hair where I wouldn't lose it. Sighing, I glanced left and right, up and down to try and come up with a solution, but my attempts only ended in vain. It wasn't until I locked my gaze with his tail did an idea begin to form. What if I tried pulling it...? I didn't like the idea of hurting him by accident, but I was too small to cause him any real harm, and the action would most likely win his focus.

It was worth a shot. Sliding down his back with relative ease, I landed with  _not_  so much ease, almost tripping over what I intended to grab.

Shaking myself out of it, I lifted up his tail with a grunt, giving it a wiggle. It was so fluffy, its soft features swiping gently across my face. Trico rumbled and looked over at me, obviously confused as to why I would be pulling such a sensitive part of his body. I moved the tail in a circle and just like I'd hoped he would, Trico lost interest in the chain and started to follow where I was pulling his tail! He turned himself around, craning his neck so he could get a better look at what I was doing. He tried to grab at his moving appendage as if he were chasing it like a dog, but to no avail. He just couldn't reach it!

At last, I had Trico exactly where I wanted him—facing the tall pillar headfirst. As a test, I stretched my arm out like the boy sometimes did and pointed a finger straight at the top, making sure that the feather on my head matched my movements. Trico could still see the feather even though I wasn't holding it, and after a few moments he seemed to understand, readying himself to jump. I dared to keep my eyes open the entire time we were in the air, but soon regretted it when we finally landed atop the pillar.

It was even higher than when I'd gotten stuck on the wooden beams! The fact that I was sitting on Trico made it even worse. I instantly shut my eyes as dizziness threatened to take over. Trico was facing the side of the left wall, and there was a wooden ledge that stretched into the next area I could walk on; the only problem was getting onto the wooden ledge itself.

I had no choice but to climb down Trico's puffy chest to make it a lower drop for me, luckily making a safe landing with both feet. A set of stairs later and Trico was out of sight, sending out those sad and haunting  ** _mooooos_  **of his he let loose whenever we were separated. I eventually found myself in the next room, shuddering when I remembered what I was going to be forced to do.

Wooziness clutching the pit of my gut, I looked down to see a small pot overflowing with the blue energy that the barrels contained. Looking across from where I stood, I would have to make a jump towards what seemed like something that would be used in a model of all the planets. It didn't look so bad in the game and the boy could easily hop over, but now it was impossible! I couldn't make a jump that far! Looking down again at the energy I would need in order to get Trico through the gate, I weighed my options.

There was no way I could get Trico to break down this gate in particular—in some walkthroughs that I'd watched, he would only end up banging his head by trying to get to the boy. My throat was too sore to scream again; I really would lose my voice, and my voice was something that I needed if I wanted to finish the game.

My stomach growled yet again. I also needed some breakfast...

I had no choice but to jump.

_Just imagine that you're hanging onto Trico,_  I told myself. The thought of an invisible Trico underneath me was somewhat comforting, and even convinced me that I had to keep my eyes open this time just like jumping over the bridge and onto the pillar. It was too risky to close them now!

I backed up as far as I could against the wall, a small flame burning next to me in a candle-like holder. Sighing, I braced myself and...!

My foot slipped on the edge of the round dome, leaving me hanging on for dear life with both of my hands! I pushed myself up the best that I could, aching pressure building in my chest from holding on so tightly. But I'd done it! Now all I had to do was keep my balance and move to the right, where a small cage hung from a chain. It was a little further than what the dome's length had been, and with more of a drop. I eyed the chain, a new goal forming in my mind to just  _jump._  If I missed, I could try grabbing onto the chain. If I missed again, well...goodbye, Trico. Nice knowing you!

I was definitely going crazy.

My poor heart didn't even quit racing when I somehow managed to land safely on the cage, pounding in a never ending marathon. The unsteady prison shifted back and forth beneath my feet, and my heart picked up an even quicker pace. At this point, I was sure that stressing over jumping instead of doing the actual jumps themselves was going to be the end of me! It didn't help when I caught sight of the two ledges that I had to jump to from the cage. This time it really  _was_  too far! But I was all alone; Trico was still calling to me from the other side of the room. There wasn't anything I could use to my advantage!

It was too much. I had to wipe a stray tear from my cheek.

"I love you mom, I love you dad," I whispered quietly. "I'm sorry I was such a brat."

I closed my eyes and jumped. Miraculously, my hands caught onto the first ledge! Before I could become too panicked and actually fall to my end, I willingly dropped to the second ledge where I let go and dropped onto a small platform.

I made it! I suddenly had the urge to dance my victory, but it wasn't over yet. Another chain hung just underneath the platform, and I could hear the crackling of the energy-filled pot attached to the end. Well, this would be easy...maybe. All I had to do was slide down the chain!

To protect myself from hand burns due to sliding, I stopped now and then and simply hugged the chain until my hands were relieved from the pain of holding on so tightly to the metal. Thankfully it didn't last for long; I was in luck when a flight of stairs came into view—stairs that led to a railed platform that I could safely and easily jump to.

"Arrrgh!" My legs buckled beneath me when I hit the platform, fire surging through my entire body for a split second. I shook it off and once I broke out of my stunned state, I made my way slowly down the steps, and then in the direction of a lever I had to pull to get the pot of energy to come down closer. It creaked and groaned until finally, I could reach it!

The 'mysterious aroma,' or garlic, wafted into my nose, the blue substance nearly pouring out of the sides of the pot. What was it doing down here, anyway? Well, that didn't matter.

Breakfast! It was the same stuff that was contained in the barrels, right? So it should still be safe for me to eat.

I reached a hand up, swiping a handful of the blue sugar into the palms of my hands. It leaked off the sides, dropping to the ground. I pushed my cupped hands against my mouth, allowing the energy to seep into my aching body. With every sip I took, the aches and pains gradually began to disappear, and I also felt my own energy returning. Were there healing properties involved...? Trico's horns were partly broken now, but they would grow more as the game went on. I wouldn't be surprised...and that was a good thing, wasn't it? I was so refreshed after I cleaned every last bit off of my hand that it seemed like I had never been stressed about any jumps at all just a few moments ago.

The energy crackled like a fire, leaving a trail of blue mist behind me as I headed back up the stairs. The pot was, surprisingly, not too heavy. It was just really hard to see where I was going since it was taller than me when I held it!

I climbed up and up until I made it to the small, metal doors. Setting the pot down, I took hold of a wooden bar that blocked the door from being opened. The wood was only a little heavier than the pot, so it was fairly easy for me to carry it away and then drop it to the floor. The metal door swung open slightly, revealing Trico waiting on the other side. His eyes flashed a bright yellow, betraying his excitement at the toothpaste I held. He had jumped off of the pillar while I was gone, and now he was standing on his hind legs with his feet up against the wall so he could see me better (or what I was  _holding_  better.)

How was I going to do this? I couldn't just drop the pot; Trico would probably try and eat it, and since this was real life now, there was a chance that he possibly  _could._  There was also the issue that if I dropped it, he would drop back to all fours, and there was no other way to get down besides yet another chain! I was  _sick_  of chains! Perhaps I could just set it down where I stood on the narrow ledge...it was worth a try.

"Leave it," I said firmly to my curious cat dog. I set the pot down gently, making sure I wouldn't drop it by accident. Trico grumbled and whined as I made a small hop onto his head, climbing over to slide down his back until I was on solid ground at last.

"Take it," I said in a more happy tone. Trico most likely didn't understand the words I'd told him, but he could apparently understand what my different tones of voices meant and would then listen (most of the time...) He remained glued to the ledge, and I watched from down below in amazement when he actually listened and grabbed at the pot!

Just like that, it plopped down, rolling directly to my feet. Trico raised a talon as if to try and touch it, but I wouldn't let him. I needed this pot for my next task to work! I felt slightly guilty about telling him that he could take it...I'd lied.

The yellow-eyed beast followed my every move, even blocking me from hanging the pot onto the chain. After a little game of keep away in which Trico almost knocked me flat on my face into a puddle of water, I finally managed to hang the dang pot on the chain. Trico's curiosity peaked at the now-swinging energy, poking his nose eagerly into the crackling substance.

_Bang, bang, bang._

_Yes!_  Before I knew it, Trico had grabbed hold of the pot with his mouth, shaking it harshly back and forth. The gate was opening! Already expecting this, I went right under and into the next room. I would have to use perfect timing to keep the opening and closing gate  _permanently_ halfway open so Trico could go through; the only problem was that I had to push a weird, metal pillar thing up a ramp. The weird axle pillar was the object that would keep the gate open for Trico, so I had no choice but to begin pushing it up a wooden ramp.

Thanks to its rolling wheel-like structure, pushing the axle wasn't too difficult. The issue was pushing it for too  _long._  I had to let go and give my arms a break!

Bad idea. The axle rolled back right into me, nearly shoving me back against the wall where I had started to pull it! I was forced to keep both hands where they were in order to stop myself from sliding down the ramp, simply staying in one spot until I could stay no more, my chest burning and heaving. Taking a deep breath, I pushed and pushed until the axle was finally steady on the platform that connected to the ramp. Moving to the far right, I found that it was a lot harder to move the heavy and large object from the side and not from the middle.

The axle toppled over, and my arms were relieved and finally relaxed...but I still had to push it towards the gate, and now that it was sitting upright, it was going to be even  _harder_  to move!

"Keep playing with that chain, okay?" I called to Trico, desperately using every ounce of strength that I had. It was like I had a time limit: there was only so much time before Trico would stop playing with the pot, never allowing me to help him get through!

The gate opened...and closed. Opened...and closed.

I was almost there!

I was right next to the gate—

It slammed shut. There was nothing else I could do but stop, panting as my arms were relieved from the intense weight.

On the other side, I could see that Trico had lost interest in the hanging pot. He snorted, his yellow eyes turning back to their natural dark.

"No!" I couldn't help but shout.

"Just go back to the chain and get it open," I groaned, running a hand down my face.

Instead of following my suggestion, he backed up, his wings fluttering the tiniest bit.

Then he shoved himself forward and rammed his head full-force into the metal gate, causing the entire room to shake.

"Don't hurt yourself," I muttered, deciding to just continue pushing the axle. This was going to take a lot of patience...

A  _lot_  of it.

And I had to be ready!

Trico got bored of watching me push, going back to playing with the chain.

The gate opened just a tiny bit...

It shut again.

Trico slammed his head again.

He had some fun with the pot again.

The gate shut yet again.

I continued pushing, determined not to give up.

I swear he was going to get brain damage!

It took so long for him to go back to playing that I had to stop, sitting with my back against the gate.

I waited.

Waited.

And waited, fiddling mindlessly with the grass.

When I thought that maybe we were going to be here all day, a miracle happened.

The gate stayed open long enough for me to get up, rush to the axle and push it underneath! I watched with unhinged joy, tears streaming freely down my face at the fact that finally, finally and  _truly,_  Trico could come through!

Of course, he wouldn't come without a treat. I was happy to give him the one barrel in the room after he slinked underneath the gate...

Even though I didn't think he deserved it.

xxxx

He was sitting.

He was just sitting there with one of his front feet held up like a begging dog, as if he was waiting for  _me_  to do something.

But I was waiting for  _him_  to do something, and that something was for him to jump up to the next level. It wasn't that high for a gigantic beast like Trico, but it was for me. I needed him to jump!

Thanks to the feather in my hair and pointing a finger forward, I was able to direct him to do so, just like I had gotten him to jump up to the pillar this morning after he was un-distracted from the swinging chain.

_It was a striking design, akin to an eye in shape. The beast seemed transfixed by it, and at the same time terrified..._

There were two, big glass eyes on both sides of us. Trico stopped dead in his tracks, refusing to go any further. I had to get down, my next objective being to get rid of said eyes. Trico let out a low growl, his own eyes turning pink—a sign that he was afraid, as I remembered the man narrating. Just like I knew there would be, I found the helmets of guards scattered about a small space to the left.

It took maybe five times tops (or more, I'll admit...) but I eventually managed to shatter the eyes by standing a good distance away so I wouldn't be hit by flying glass.

"Better now?" I asked, giving Trico a soft pat on his leg. His eyes turned back to their normal dark, and it was then that I knew it was safe to climb up on his back and instruct him to make a second jump that led to the outside.

xxxx

The sun's warm rays soothed my skin that was beginning to crack, especially on my hands. Wind howled and Trico's feathers went wild, and birds sang their usual morning tune. Trico stepped carefully down a set of stairs, leading us towards what was another glass eye—it was much bigger than the ones I'd just broken, and it was sitting on a fragile wooden railway.

A  _very_  fragile railway that didn't extend to where it was supposed to on the other side, making things difficult for us. A ladder helped to make the process easier for me to get down, though it didn't reach the bottom of the platform. I dropped off, making my way towards the eye. It rested casually atop what seemed like a cage that I had to push, and if it hadn't been for its wheels that rolled somewhat freely along the broken path, I would have never had enough strength that was required to push it all the way over the edge.

I had to be extra careful this time, for when I reached the ending of the railway—

The flimsy wooden bridge snapped and banged, and the destruction was heading right towards me! Luckily, I already knew that this was supposed to happen. I was prepared, so I high-tailed it out of there and made it back to the platform before I could get hit by flying debris and fall to my death.

When all was still once more, I sighed and glanced up at Trico, who was peeking his head over the edge of the top platform. I was just now realizing how big he  _truly_ was...

"All you gotta do is jump," I told him, daring to mimic the movement on the far edge of the broken railway. I really shouldn't be doing such a thing, but Trico needed an example!

"Come on, it's fun!" I encouraged in a high pitched, happy tone to try and get him to listen. Another lie...it wasn't fun at  _all!_  But Trico didn't understand that when I pointed, I wanted him to leap where he was supposed to go. How was I going to get him to do what he needed so we could keep going? Light reflected off of a shining, white object that sat close by. Blinking and raising a hand to block out the blinding reflection, an idea began to form when I spotted a small, empty pot resting sideways on the bottom platform. I made my way back, bending down to pick it up. This better work...

Grabbing the pot, I moved back towards the edge, turning around to make sure that Trico had his full attention on me. Or rather, the pot. When it seemed that I had his complete focus, I tossed the pot right over the edge, shivering in anticipation as I watched it fall into the bottomless gray pit below. Sooner or later, I was going to have to do the same thing. Behind me, Trico rumbled and I turned again to see him preparing to rush after the object I had thrown. The pot was just as useful as the rocks that I'd used to play fetch; Trico bent, wiggling himself into position, and then—

The massive, graceful creature swooped directly over my head! I followed his movements, letting out a sheepish _whoo!_  when he landed successfully onto the opposite side, pounding harshly onto the wooden ramp. Unable to hold his weight, the ramp suddenly began to collapse!

"Don't fall, don't fall!" I practically squealed in a panic, which probably wasn't the best idea. He needed to concentrate and I'd probably just distracted him! But Trico managed to stabilize himself, bracing his legs to keep from falling any further. His tail hung over the edge of the ramp and if I hadn't been an expert in the game already, I would have thought that I needed to jump straight towards it, which would have been a big mistake.

But Trico's tail was pulled away as he moved up the ramp a little ways. He turned around to face me, whining and reaching a front leg out.

This was it.

One of the many moments I had been inwardly dreading the entire time I had been trapped in the game. It had been stuck in the back of my mind, clawing its way to the surface. I had known that I would eventually have to do this, but it was the last thing that I wanted to think about.

I would have to put my complete trust and faith in Trico—trust that he wouldn't fail to catch me as I went down.

We made eye contact, and the invisible bond made itself known again, pulsing between us. Fear on my end that I wouldn't make it and worry on Trico's end as he reached out to me. He wasn't about to leave me behind for any reason! If that simple action wasn't enough to convince me, I didn't know what would.

If he failed, I didn't know if I would come back, and that was the worst part.

But we had already gone through so much together, and I was beginning to put my full trust in him.

If our bond was made up of words in this moment, I could almost hear Trico speak:  _I won't let you fall._

No more waiting.

It was now or never!

I braced myself and made the leap of faith.


	13. Chapter 13

If a friend ever wanted to go to an amusement park with me and they're the kind of person who enjoys fast and make-your-stomach-drop kinds of rides, they would be sorely disappointed. I can't stand _any_  of those rides, and no matter how much peer pressure I might be put into, I would always refuse. I guess part of it is because one of my cousins 'tricked' me into a ride once—a river rafting ride. There was a huge drop at the end that made my stomach queasy just watching other people go down, and so I refused to go when my cousin wanted to take me.

But then he told me that he filmed the ride while he was on it, and he could show me it wasn't so bad aside from the one drop at the end. I'd watched the footage he had taken, and it looked smooth besides the single drop. I had fully believed him, willingly going on the ride. To this day, I still regret it.

Anyway...I was reminded a _lot_  of that river rafting ride and the absolutely horrible three drops I had to endure because of my cousin. It felt like I was falling out of the sky, like my stomach was was going to fly up and out of my mouth.

I also hate swinging rides thanks to my dad who once got me to go on a ferris wheel. It had the options of still or motion, and we'd accidentally gone on the motion type without knowing it. Let's just say that my stomach had a rough time that day. I was sure that the swinging ferris wheel was what a rollercoaster would feel like, too (and thankfully I've never been on one of those.) I even think it may have been where my fear of heights stemmed from.

Why did it seem like I was back on the ferris wheel?

Reluctantly, I opened my eyes to find that...Trico had caught me? Looking up, I could see his face. He was holding me in his mouth by my orange shirt, just like he had when he'd caught the boy! How it wasn't ripping I'll never know, but I instantly chased the thought away.

_He'd caught me after I jumped!_  He did it! I did it!  _We_  did it! Nothing could compare to the concrete joy that swept through every fiber of my being when Trico turned, setting me on the wooden ramp gently as a giant creature such as him possibly could. I blinked, stray tears escaping along with a loud laugh.

My relief didn't last for long, though. Up ahead was another glass eye that had to be taken care of, or Trico would refuse to go any further. It sat atop a second cage like the first, and I had to shove it into oblivion. Eager to get away from the edge of the ramp, I started to take my first steps forward towards the next eye.

The wood was rough beneath my feet, and I soon realized that I had to be careful about getting splinters. Trico followed slowly behind, coming to a complete halt when we reached our next destination. Well, not really. Trico would remain where he was, and I had to jump off a fairly high section of the ramp that broke off.

I didn't have to jump right away, right? I could just stand here and admire the view! Stone buildings all around us...the white birds we had been hearing all this time soaring above and beyond...the intricate wooden structures that made a playground out of the sky. I could even see the tall, pointy pillars where we had first spotted the two evil Tricos right across from me! It was crazy how far we'd come already, and to see it from where I stood now was almost surreal.

A howl from Trico broke me out of my foggy haze, and it was then that I knew I had to stop stalling. He didn't deserve to be tormented by the glass eye! I had to put a stop to it in return for saving me!

_It's not as bad as the last drop,_  I told myself. I sat on the edge of the ramp so I could make it even easier, shoving off with my arms. Legs burning when they made contact with the bottom part of the ramp, I regained my bearings as soon as my frantic mind would allow, turning my attention then to the new obstacle before me. The eye was faced to the right, just in front of Trico as if whoever had been involved in its making had known that a Trico or two would eventually find their way up.

I grabbed onto the cage's bottom handle, struggling to pull it backwards towards its doom.

Then I stopped.

_Wait._  If I did this, then I would be forced to make another jump—a jump just as bad as the first!

My thoughts were interrupted when I felt myself moving backwards along with the cage. Why was I moving backwards?!

In all of my thinking and worrying, I had accidentally let go of the handle! Now it was shoving me back along with it, and I had no choice but to scream and  _get the heck out of the way_  on a small side platform of the ramp! A rope attached to the falling cage whipped past just far enough so it wouldn't hit me.

I'd made yet another mistake. The platform I had chosen to make my safe haven split and cracked, leaving me no other choice but to leap to solid ramp and run faster than the wind towards the main platform. Now that the eye was no longer in place, Trico was fearless as he raced by my side on the opposite ramp. Finally, I made it to safety...

But it turned out that the platform wasn't so safe. It began to break on all sides, leaving nothing but a sliver! If I stayed any longer, I would crumble along with it! No time to waste, I didn't even bother shutting my eyes. I just went for it, stretching my legs into the open sky as Trico positioned himself to prepare for the impossible.

He screeched in vain _when he missed_  and I was sent careening downwards even further below into the pit of nothing.

I was tempted to just close my eyes and wait for the end, but this moment was critical. No matter what happened, I had to keep my eyes open!

In the game, this part in particular had taken place in slow motion. During my first jump, I hadn't realized exactly how  _fast_  I was falling, and that realization was only hitting me now that I was more prepared. A gray blur swooped directly towards me. Subconsciously expecting this, I was ready to reach my arms out and grab onto Trico's tail tightly as humanly possible. I was sure that if we weren't in such a rush to escape the wooden ramp that was now completely falling apart, Trico would no doubt be crying out in pain.

Nothing more than a ragdoll now, I didn't have any other option but to stay clinging to Trico's tail. He was too busy running from the destruction that was right on our literal tail, and running so fast that I couldn't even begin to think about trying to climb up to his back! My stomach threatened to bring up the blue energy I'd eaten for breakfast when the beast leaped without warning to a fragile ledge hardly big enough to hold him. Heart picking up speed once again, my mind raced along with the vital organ as I pushed myself upwards. Trico was still enough now that I could climb his body, but he was struggling to stay afloat. The ledge wouldn't support his weight much longer!

"Hang in there, buddy!" I encouraged, putting one arm forward after the other. He'd saved my life more times than I could count already, so it was  _my_  turn to save his! Pushing myself harder, I reached the top of his head and didn't think twice about jumping off to grab a stray blue pot that blocked me from getting to a fallen tree trunk.

Not for long! The only problem was steering clear of Trico's frantic talons as they clung desperately to the ledge, slipping erratically and dangerously close to ripping my robe to shreds. The second the pot tumbled out of sight, Trico gripped the trunk to surge himself up. I decided to let it slide that he hadn't given me a warning when there was no way he could have done such a thing. I was already expecting the action anyway, blindly clenching my hands around his feathers before he could get too far.

I was falling  _up_  until my flailing body stilled and I could no longer hear my pounding heart. It was only when my mind settled and I could think somewhat clearly did I peek open one eye...darn. Without even realizing it, I'd closed my eyes through that whole ordeal at some point! Old habits die hard...

Too bad there wasn't any epic music playing in the background to accompany our tremendous accomplishment. Looking out over the edge, I was surprised to feel the opposite of nauseous. Amazement replaced the queasy feeling as I searched for where we had just escaped, but couldn't find any of the ramps. They were completely and utterly  _gone_  as if they had vanished into thin air!

Trico was alive! I was alive! We'd just saved each other, though I would never come close to saving Trico's life as many times as he would end up saving mine.

I couldn't help but voice my gratitude for surviving the impossible in the form of a  _whoooooo_  that reverberated from one stone pillar to the next. Trico decided to join in with one of his famous  _moooooos,_  mimicking my call and scaring a flock of birds into flying higher up.

"We did it," I laughed. We were  _alive!_  We could still move onward! I turned to see a set of stairs in need of climbing. "Come on, buddy."

Trico followed me into what seemed like a mini cavern type of room. Wood and rubble rested in a mountain to the left, and a hallway to the right. Trico's steps became slower and wary, and suddenly he let loose a series of intense growls and snarls that could only mean one thing: more of the guards were waiting for us down below. My thrill of surviving the collapsing ramps dulled, returning to a sense of dread. I was going to have to make these guards chase me so I could get rid of the glass eye that sat atop a bridge overhead, and I wasn't really in the mood to be chased. Who ever was?

Taking a peek inside the room, a guard stood at the ready to the left. It was so creepy just standing there, not even taking notice of my rather loud companion. I couldn't see the other guard yet, but they were waiting for one thing and one thing only—me. Any kid that would wander aimlessly into their clutches to toss into a door. My objective? Get to the ledges straight ahead fast as possible while avoiding capture; I doubted if I was caught that Trico would come to my rescue due to his fear of the eye.

_You're faster than them,_  my inner voice comforted.

First goal: ledge. I took a deep breath and just went for it, jumping into the dirt and pebble-filled pit. The guard to the left shot awake, instantly reaching his arms out like he was asking for a hug. Yeah, right! I dodged, racing up a wooden ramp in its direction. The second guard came into view so unexpectedly I had to stop for a second to analyze my situation. He was carrying a spear aimed at no one other than Trico, leaving me an opening to run past!

_Go, go, go!_  I inwardly screamed at myself. The ledge blocked my view of anything else, so I couldn't tell how close the free-handed guard was to grabbing me as I jumped up to the first ledge and then the second, pushing myself up to the next level with a grunt. Blue butterflies made themselves known, following my every move. If there were blue butterflies, then there had to be a barrel nearby. I knew there was some toothpaste even higher above, but I didn't have time to get Trico a treat, not with strange green magic being shot at me! Random patterns stuck to my skin, fitting perfectly into my tattoos like pieces of a puzzle. I swatted at the butterflies, my movements becoming slower...

Finally, I reached the chain I would have to climb and use to get to the glass eye. This chain in particular was different from all the rest I had been forced to climb; this chain didn't exactly swing, but  _slid._  How fun! I gripped the metal ending with both hands, shoving it to the back wall. I ran to the best of my ability with the heavy object to the opposite side, making sure not to let go—the chain would take care of the rest!

I was flying, soaring to where I needed to be on the bridge. Daring to glance down for only a second, I spotted the two guards below. Their hands clasped together, spurting out never ending strands of the green patterns that stuck themselves to my sensitive skin.

Ready...and...

I leapt off the chain straight towards the bridge, my legs screaming as if I'd landed in a pot of boiling water. But I had to keep going! There wasn't any time to stop and wallow in my pain! Gripping the handle to the eye, I ignored the fire that shot through my legs, pushing both arms forward across the bridge. The glass eye gave in, falling with style to the floor below and shattering into a million pieces. From the bridge, Trico roared. Now that his glass enemy was gone, he was no longer afraid to jump down into the pit and attack the guards!

Snarling, he took one in his mouth, shook, and tossed it to the stone walls for them to take care of the rest. He grabbed hold of the other guard, deciding to simply crush it just by stepping harshly onto its head. Green gas exploded and the guards were no more, the single spear dropping instantaneously before it could pierce my friend. Trico glanced up at me to check and make sure I was alright, then returned to smashing the guards' remains into dark oblivion.

He was moving too much for me to just jump down on him; I would only succeed in flying off and spraining a leg!

"Trico!" I called. "It's okay! They're all gone!"

His ears twitched at my voice and he glanced up again, his battle-ready stance loosening. Pink eyes merged to black once more, and I released a sigh of relief, preparing myself to leap onto a soft bed of feathers.

One more terrifying jump off of his head later and I was walking casually across a metal railway that led to the outside.

xxxx

Wind howled like waves in a distant ocean, birds chirping happily close by. If I looked to the right, I could see a flock breezing past so close that I wished I had the ability to fly and join them. But I had my own giant bird to take care of, a certain Trico that needed to be let out through a gate.

Coming to the edge of a spiral staircase, I circled down and down until I made it safely to the grassy floor. Trico moved closer to the gate as I placed my hands on top of the lever, patting it with a talon to try and break through. He stepped back when the gate slid open, wary of yet another glass eye that caught his attention. Rumbling, he slinked backwards on the grassy ledge, dark eyes turning pink once again. I stared at the eye myself, the feeling of queasiness I was starting to get used to striking the center of my gut.

I shook myself out of it, grabbing a handful of feathers to climb up Trico's body. His attention ripped away from the eye as he watched me climb, and while I still had such attention, I pointed a finger to the stone ledge above where butterflies swirled about two barrels of sugary toothpaste. The feather tied to my hair intact, Trico was able to follow its movement and lift himself onto his hind legs so I could scoot myself to the ledge from his head.

"I know what you want," I cooed in a baby type of voice, bending down to pick up one of the two barrels. Trico grumbled, dark eyes turning the yellow I knew so well by now. Throwing my arms out, I tossed the barrel to him and he caught it in midair, fully expecting the treat!

I wished I'd kept the second, staring out to the cages I would have to leap across. It was another one of the many moments that I hadn't been looking forward to at all, and now it was finally here. I would rather go through everything we had again if only to stall and keep the moment from coming quicker. The cages hung menacingly in the air hundreds of feet, and I was going to have to jump across them sooner or later. Once I jumped to the first cage, there was no going back to the safety of the sturdy ledge. I would be suspended along with the cages, and my stomach wasn't very fond of the idea.

Logic screamed at me not to do it, that if I made one single mistake, it would all be over. At least, I thought. Why couldn't I just get an answer whether or not I was invincible like the boy?! It would make things so much easier if I was able to come back no matter how many times I messed up, and if I wasn't, then...

I think I threw up a little in my mouth.

_Just jump to the first cage and see how it is,_  my inner voice suggested.  _You're probably making a big deal out of things when they're really not so bad._

I wasn't so sure about that. The players I had watched in walkthroughs screamed their heads off, especially if the boy fell.

Trico whined from behind me down below on the grassy hill like he was telling me to get a move on. We couldn't stay here all day! He would jump to me as soon as I got rid of the eye, and it was the thought of having a safe pillow of feathers to land on soon that convinced me I needed to get started, at least.

Backing up to the railing far as it would allow, I braced myself for the hundredth time and leapt!

The cage wobbled, forcing me to grab instantly to the chain that hung in the middle.

"Don't worry!" I shouted to Trico in an attempt to distract myself from the inevitable. "I'll get rid of that thing in no time!"

Trico responded by letting out what sounded like a cross between a whine and a howl.

I sighed, turning back around to face my worst enemy: heights. Not even my fear of being chased by the guards compared to the anxiety that now plagued my weak and fragile mind!

At least I didn't have to climb up the chain attached to the first cage. I was able to 'simply' jump to the ledge on the next, which actually wasn't too far.

_See? You're making a big deal out of nothing,_  my inner voice scolded. The problem was lifting myself to the very top of the cage.

_What did I do to deserve this?_  I whined inwardly. The thought that this wasn't so bad was immediately swept away by the wind.

Now I had to jump to the next chain, wrapping my hands around the cold and rusty metal as soon as I made contact with the slightest brush against my skin.

The third cage was the worst. Once I landed, I nearly toppled over the edge when it protested under my weight! Arms flailing, I grabbed the middle chain before my feet could slip and I would go tumbling down to a concrete building beneath. The last chain (or last chain I had to _jump_  to) was directly ahead now.

_All you have to do is slide down._  With that thought in mind, I leaped and the chain clinked as I slid to what seemed like a wooden seesaw. Once I dropped, it bent underneath its new occupant, and it took everything I had not to look down as it moved. The seesaw was at a high enough point now, and I could just run to the top while being careful about gaining splinters in my feet. I ran and ran until I could run no more, the seesaw beginning to dip under my weight. Before it could drop any further, I jumped and missed the first ledge I had to grab hold of!

Luckily, a second was available. One hand gripped the ledge and then another, until finally I could swing myself around to the middle ledge of the eye at its bottom structure.

Wind whistled sharply, signaling just how  _high_  I was now. I stood in place against a pink section of the eye, just barely able to hear snorting and growling from behind. I couldn't look, I couldn't look!

I was insane! This was insane!

The dreamcatcher-like objects that dangled from the eye on either side swung back and forth in the sharp wind that whistled past my ears. Had I really managed to climb up those weird cloth things?

_I can't do this, I can't do this, I can't do this._

I didn't care how many times I told myself I couldn't do it by now. I was  _never_  going to do this!

Why hadn't I eaten anything from the two barrels I'd thrown to Trico? My empty stomach growled with impatience, begging for more of the tasty blue energy. But I didn't have any more energy, especially not way up here.

Light turned to dark. I fought to keep my weary eyes open, fearful that I would fall if they closed. Trico's growls mixed in with my stomach, comforting me somewhat that he was still there on the hill waiting for me to destroy the stupid eye. But I couldn't!

I just  _couldn't!_

Dark turned to light. Was it really my fourth day of being stuck inside a video game? Had I really stayed on the eye all night long? I didn't care. I wasn't going up any higher than this!

My arms and legs wouldn't stop shivering when night came again, the sharp and howling wind at its worst. I was on the verge of giving into my need to sleep, yet wide awake and alert at the same time. I wasn't going to  _literally_  fall asleep!

Morning peeked over the dark once again.

_Two nights...I've been stuck up here for two nights..._

And Trico had been stuck below, absolutely frozen in his fear of the eye before him. So much so, that he wasn't going to come to my rescue anytime soon.

We were both in trouble. If I didn't get food or water soon, I was going to meet my end in a worse way than falling off the eye. I had to keep going!

I shook myself out of my hazy daze, jumping up to grab the first ledge in front of a blue section of the eye. I moved to the right until I could move no more, jumping up to the next where a broken hole awaited me to climb through. I kept careful mind that this was glass, and I could easily cut my hand by accident. I lowered myself and dropped to the very bottom ledge, jumping up twice until I came across a second broken piece. Was it just me or were the birds chirping louder?

The glass eye wiggled as I moved. I stopped, allowing it to regain its balance. Only when it stilled did I move through the hole, now at the eye's full height. A planet-like dome dangled ahead. Too engrossed in my hunger and not even thinking, I leapt towards the chain attached.

What was even worse than the eye were the tiny metal ledges I could barely fit on.

_Left, right, left, right._

Yes, I'd thought the eye was bad. But standing on top of the metal beam was  _definitely_ worse; I wished that I'd wasted two days up here instead of the eye.

I was more than petrified, deciding to get on my knees and crawl to the lever I had to lift and push. Trico scooted backwards as the large eye began to slide in his direction. The metal lever suddenly broke off, shattering just as it hit the grass hill. Leftover pieces nearly shot at Trico, inches from hitting him in the face. I watched the glass eye disappear into the depths below, pride and relief rolling into me all at once.

Neither pride nor relief lasted long. I was still stuck on the metal ledge, and there was no way for me to get down without Trico! I remained in position on my knees, watching the cat dog through the metal holes as he jumped from the hill to a stone, spiral staircase behind the round dome he sent crashing to its doom. So determined to get to me that I didn't even need to call his name, he sat atop the staircase and waited for me to make my last jump...for now.

I stared down at him and he stared back up, eager to have his friend back after two whole days had gone by. Was it really my _fifth_  day stuck inside a video game? I shook away my disbelief, returning to concentrating on the situation at hand.

_Just one last drop, just one last drop. He'll catch you,_  I tried to comfort myself to no avail.

_Just do it,_  my empty stomach snarled. I needed a barrel of energy, and I needed one  _now._  Maybe even two or three...

As if my hunger was a physical being, the craving for food shoved me over the edge and right towards Trico!

I couldn't even lift an arm to point him in the direction of the pillars we had to jump across. It was time for a break on my end, allowing Trico to do the work; he seemed to understand on instinct we had to leap from one to the next until we reached a wooden bridge ahead. Unfortunately, a glass eye rested near just the end of the bridge. Despite how far it seemed, Trico refused to move forward. Groaning and wallowing in my hunger and weakness, I gathered what remaining strength I had to climb down to Trico's chest so the drop wouldn't be as bad as it would on his head. He rattled, hackles raised as I moved almost mechanically towards the eye to push it over the bridge's edge. Despite my small win, I hardly felt pride as I watched the thing disappear into the unknown depths.

Trico must have sensed my distress, howling and whining for me to go back to him. But I could barely move, let alone run when he stepped automatically onto the bridge.

_Snap. **CRACK!**_

Eyes widening, I didn't even have time to turn around and start running back, finding that Trico was already right next to me! Regaining a bit of energy from the adrenaline itself, I connected my entire arm to a handful of feathers in order to keep myself from flying off when Trico had no choice but to leap off the bridge and to the next four pillars!

At last, Trico managed to keep himself balanced. With my heart hammering and head pounding from hunger and lack of sleep, I pushed myself harder to climb down my personal ladder—his tail.

xxxx

I don't know how I did it. Avoiding two guards by running up and down staircases, then an entire  _hoard_  of guards, pulling a lever or two to open gates to escape said guards. It was like I was living inside a dream, everything moving in slow motion. I couldn't think straight, yet I was able to make rational choices as to where I should go or how I should do things.

I was on autopilot—my half crazed mind taking over and my body handling what I wouldn't have been able to if I were fully conscious.

Like balancing on wooden beams, for example. In a way, I was grateful for the lack of control over my own body, yet I knew deep down I had to hurry and find food or else I would be in trouble.

I didn't even flinch when one of the beams to my left snapped and fell.

I didn't think twice when I jumped from the very tip of the wooden beam to an incomplete platform.

I didn't even hesitate when Trico leaped from his place on the pillar to the drawbridge on my side when the pole I'd grabbed onto snapped, leaving me dangling in midair.

I free-fell like I'd done it all my life down to the very tip of his tail—

Hardly caring when I missed my target and began to fall even further down below.

What finally snapped me out of my dreamlike reverie was the feeling of another hand catching mine before I could completely fall to my doom.


	14. Chapter 14

Nothing was there.  _No one was there._

How was it possible?! I'd felt someone grab my hand, and they'd just saved my life. But  _no one was there!_  It was just empty space along Trico's back, and the more that I thought about it, how would someone be able to climb down his back while he was struggling so much, anyway? The drawbridge was shut, and he was hanging on like no tomorrow. I had to climb up and save him again!

Shooting awake and out of my dazed state, I found I was still gripping the end of Trico's tail; the invisible hand had guided my own back to the tip so I wouldn't fall!

It didn't matter that nothing was there—all that mattered was getting up to safety. Putting one hand forward after the other, I climbed with the last remaining ounce of strength I possibly had, and it wasn't much. I was so  _dizzy_  and so  _hungry..._ I needed to eat and I needed to sleep!

My worries about such things faded when I spotted multiple spears stuck inside of Trico's feathers. They lined the edges and center of his back in such a way I had to avoid them until I reached the top of his head. When this part was all over, I was going to have to get them out, and Trico wasn't going to like it one bit.

Then a new problem presented itself: How was I going to get down the closed drawbridge? In the game, the boy had simply jumped off of Trico's head right down onto hard stone. I would never be able to do it, but Trico needed me! I had to do  _something!_  Grunting, I brought myself slowly and carefully over the struggling beast's nose. He chirped and whined, hanging onto the top of the closed bridge with both talons. Looking down, I could see the lever I needed to pull. The bridge was too high for me to just jump down like the boy, though! Thinking for a minute, I decided that I would have to  _slide._  Trico, albeit unintentionally, made sure I didn't fall backwards as I sat on the very tip of the bridge and pushed myself off, my bottom screeching in burning pain against the harsh wood.

The pain was all worth it when I landed relatively safely on two feet, immediately running to the right where the lever rested in between a railing and a ladder. The drawbridge creaked and opened upon my action of pulling down the lever so Trico could climb up to safety. He squirmed, attempting to regain his footing. When the bridge was stretched completely outwards, I let out a sigh of relief when he finally managed to pull himself up. He shuddered, shaking lightly as if to ward off dizziness; I wouldn't blame him after all that had just happened. Trico moved slowly in my direction, and I rested a hand gently on a front leg, rubbing it back and forth to soothe the giant creature.

Now was the time to get rid of all the spears that littered his poor body, and I was already regretting having to pull them out. Better to get it over with sooner than later...it would also distract me from my hunger.

I got to work, yanking one spear out after the other. Trico yelped with each one that left its home in his body, moving into a sitting position every now and then as if the action would help the pain. Now that the lower spears were finished, I had to start on those that had gotten lodged higher up on his body, such as both of his shoulders. Even amid my own hunger and pain, there was more anger at the guards who had done this to my ever-adorable cat bird.

The only thing left after the spears lay helplessly on the floor were red smears which I was at a loss on how to remove. Trico was covered in them and I knew they would just wash off when we reached the water level where I would have to make him dive, but it was so far away! As horrible as it sounded, I didn't want to have to look at a wounded Trico for the remainder of our journey.

I was just going to have to tough it out and use my hands to get rid of the blood. I crawled up to a stain located in his left shoulder, stopping and simply hanging onto his body before I was able to touch it. I moved closer, reaching a tentative hand out to 'test the waters,' so to speak. Moving my hand back and forth across Trico's smooth feathers, the beast gradually began to...purr? Trico was  _purring!_  Encouraged by the warm and comforting sound, I continued my back and forth motion, only stopping to check and see if the red stain had disappeared.

To my pleasant surprise, the more I rubbed the dark stains on his feathers, the more they vanished! In no time at all, Trico was back to his normal, gray-feathered self. Eventually he stopped purring, allowing me to climb down his body before standing up from his sitting position, glancing at me as if to say 'let's go!'

I couldn't have agreed more, wiping my hands on my robe in case any red was left on them. Together, we ventured into the next area: a small cave with sunlight peeking in from above where other bridges criss-crossed one another, dotting the sky.

My vision grew blurry, my steps becoming slower. Trico made sure to stay beside me in case I fell, keeping my wobbly form upright. Now that I wasn't distracted any longer from my hunger, I was more than aware of its clawing presence. I reminded myself that I hadn't eaten or slept in two days due to being terrified of climbing up the glass eye, and I inwardly scolded myself for being so stupid. Once we were in the center of the cave, I could no longer stand. I fell, my face harshly hitting the dirt. To my right, I could barely make out the shape of what appeared to be a Trico statue. The head of a Trico, to be more precise.

My real Trico huffed in his own hunger, as if he was tempted to lay down next to me. I wondered if he either wasn't as hungry as me because of his large size, or if he was even more hungry than his tiny human friend. Whichever one it was, we needed food and we needed it quick. The butterflies were back, swirling carefree about our heads. They became blurry in my dazed state, turning into nothing but tiny specks I could barely see. Trico grumbled, lowering his head to nudge my arm, but I wasn't even able to acknowledge his action. He lifted his head back up, protruding a concerned chirp. Then he moved straight in the direction of a cart that blocked the entrance to a tunnel containing train tracks.

I was small enough to fit through a hole in between the crate and the cave wall, but Trico was far too big to even attempt getting through himself...or so I'd thought. He gripped nearly the entire part of the crate that stuck out with his jaws, easily pulling it outwards in my direction. After a few tugs, the gate burst open, allowing Trico to keep hold of the crate in his mouth so it wouldn't slide towards me. Grunting, he placed it on the side of the cave and to my shock—he actually started going into the tunnel! If I hadn't been so hungry and sleepy, I would have wondered where exactly he was going since this hadn't been part of the game at all. But my eyes were drooping and I could keep them open no longer...

xxxx

Puffs of warm air brought me back into the land of the living. Blinking several times, I shook my head to try and get rid of the hazy daze that just refused to let go no matter how hard I tried. I noticed almost instantly that my stomach wasn't hurting as much as it had been before I'd fallen asleep; I was at the point of being so starving, I couldn't even feel the hunger pains anymore!

Finding just the tiniest bit of strength to lift my head, I was met with the sight of...a barrel sitting in front of me? My eyes widened out of their sleepy residue, hardly believing the solid proof that somehow, food had magically found its way to me!

A chirp sounded from nearby. A bird...? No, a  _giant_  bird.

Trico was sitting next to me! A  _barrel_  was sitting next to me!

_The beast seemed suddenly ill at ease. I was worried...until I realized that it was merely hungry,_ the man's narration rolled into my mind.

Instead of me hurrying to feed Trico, it was Trico who had hurried to feed  _me!_  I could remember how he'd torn the cart through the gate to get in before falling asleep—he must have found a way through the dark part of the tunnel where this barrel was supposed to be located!

The dog bird let out a small but delighted yip, happy to see that I was finally awake. Based on the light that still poured in from above, I hadn't slept through the whole day, much to my relief. I had slept just enough to regain the energy I needed to simply reach forward and grab the barrel, swiping my prize from around the edges and placing a blue-covered finger into my mouth.

Pleasant warmth immediately spread throughout my entire body, soothing my aches and pains. Any extra tiredness fluttered away into the wind, and I was able to get on two feet at last! Just to be safe, I took another swipe of the glowing blue energy, eating until my hunger pangs completely faded and I was nearly bursting at the seams. Of course, I knew I had to save some for my wonderful companion who had gone through all the trouble of retrieving it. He'd just saved me a terrible hassle of jumping underneath the train tracks to get the barrel the hard way.

"Thank you," I said gratefully with a small laugh, holding the sugary treat with both hands. Trico gladly finished off what was left, and now that we were both fully energized, I was able to lead the giant into the train track tunnel.

All the while, my now-awake mind kept going back to whatever had grabbed my hand to stop me from falling off the drawbridge. It had felt so  _real,_  so physical like an actual hand wrapping itself around my own...but I had probably just been imagining things.

I chalked it up to the fact that I had been so starving, I had begun to hallucinate. How I made it back up to Trico's tail, I'll never know. A new thought also crossed my mind—if someone really  _had_  been there and I just couldn't see them (a lot of things were possible in this world, after all...) then they didn't want me to fall and saved my life. That revealed I most certainly was not invincible like the boy; if anything happened to me again, I was done for. No second chances! Game over. What was I expecting now that the game was real?

Such as jumping across ledges in pitch black. We had reached a cave so dark I couldn't make out one single shape with a naked eye, making it difficult for me to see where exactly I needed to jump. Thanks to Trico's glowing green eyes and horns I was able to see a bit more clearly through the darkness, but I still had to be careful and not lose my footing. Scuttling could be heard from directly above us, and I paused to look up and see that there were  _bats_  circling around Trico's head! He froze for a minute as if in fear of the tiny flying creatures, but then shook himself out of it and continued to follow me through the darkness, lighting up my way like a bright flame from a fireplace.

We moved until a high wall blocked us from going any further, and I signaled Trico to jump by pointing a finger. Before he could ready himself to make the leap, I clung to a handful of feathers and held on with my newfound strength, only releasing when all became still. Emerging onto a flight of stairs, a second drawbridge blocked our path. Trico moved close enough that I could touch the bridge with both hands, offering an example of how he should break it down. Already a fan of mimicking my movements, he stood on his hind legs, extending his talons so they rested on the closed drawbridge. I made sure to sit back on his head when the bridge slammed outward and he returned to all fours.

Before we could take another step towards the view that greeted us, a  ** _ROAR_**  penetrated the open air that surrounded the tall stone buildings and pillars. A second  _ **ROAR**  _sounded from the opposite direction where the first had come from, and Trico turned his head left and right at his full attention, causing me to hang on tighter.

Judging by his reaction, Trico knew as well as I did where...or  _what_  those roars had come from—the two evil Tricos! They were nearby, and they were communicating with each other. Following us...watching us...

I shook my head to rid myself of the frightening thought, realizing that my Trico was already starting to jump to our next destination a minute too late! Two tall, stone pillars later and Trico turned to face his greatest fear—a pink and blue glass eye that hung from above. An eye that I was going to have to get rid of if we wanted to get anywhere.

If I'd thought getting stuck on top of an eye itself was bad, it was climbing down Trico's tail in such a way that I had no choice  _but_  to look down, forcing my own eyes to stay open so I could see a space in between the pillar that I was able to stand in. But first, I had to jump.

I was definitely not going to do a free jump right towards the opening. I doubted that if I missed my target, the imaginary hand was going to help me again—if there had even been a hand at all and I just hadn't been able to see it. Instead of jumping, I decided to try swinging Trico's tail back and forth, soon discovering that this was almost worse than the jumping itself! I reached a single hand out once I was close enough, grabbing the edge of the pillar to steady myself. Trico's tail remained in place, allowing me to make a step towards the opening. I simply remained in place, staring down at my next challenge and yet another task that I hadn't been looking forward to at all...

The tightrope rested directly underneath me, my stomach twisting and turning as birds fluttered even further underneath, to give you an idea of how high I really was.

I stared and stared, frozen to the spot until an epiphany brought itself forward.

I wasn't going to get stuck again. I  _couldn't_  get stuck again! If I had survived climbing up the big glass eye after going two days without eating or sleeping, then I could easily balance across a tightrope without falling since I had my full energy back.

"Here goes nothing," I murmured, lowering myself to the first ledge.

_Not so bad..._

It was actually  _terrible,_  but I was doing my best to disguise the terrible with something more wonderful; imagining reaching the other side in one piece without falling!

One, two more ledges down and I was standing right atop the tightrope. Rock crumbled from above as Trico screeched at his glass enemy, egging me to go on.

I was not a tightrope walker. Rather than beginning by taking a few steps forward, I lowered myself ever further so I could grab onto the rope with both hands, pretending it was just a chain. I'd already hung from multiple chains, so associating the rope with something familiar helped to ease my nerves before they had the chance to get the better of me. The rope was thick, but my hands could still circle all the way around. This was the longest 'chain' I had ever dangled from, so rest stops were necessary—but only for a second. The longer I held on, the more the rope crinkled in the wind and the more my arms burned.

_One hand in front of the other. Stop. One hand in front of the other. Stop. One hand in front of the other. Stop._

After what seemed like an eternity, I finally reached the end of the rope. I was forced to do nothing else  _but_  stand so I could step over to the stone ledge. Half-bending with my hands on my knees, I saw that Trico was busy jumping back and forth from pillar to pillar in his fear and agitation. There was nowhere to go but up for me, and so I reluctantly began to ascend by making use of the vines that attached themselves to the stone wall; I suddenly had the urge to attempt a Tarzan yell, but decided against it. Better to keep concentrating on the vines...it was difficult at first with how they blew wherever the strong wind wanted the leaves to go, but I just made sure to keep at least one hand tightly wrapped around a handful at all times.

Immediately upon reaching the top, I landed right on my knees to kiss the ground, giving it my thanks and saying how much I appreciated the hard, steady floor.

A very small, broken in half set of stairs reached my gaze. Climbing up and hopping over gently as possible, I found myself standing on the bottom, circled rim of the stone pillar that the broken steps had once been attached to. I had finally reached the second tightrope I needed to climb, and much to my horror...

I remembered that this rope in particular was supposed to break somewhere in the middle! Joy.

But since I was expecting this to happen, I was prepared.

Inspecting the metal that the rope was wrapped around, I could see it was obviously not as stable as it should be, leaning backwards in a crooked manner. Maybe if I adjusted it just a bit, the rope wouldn't snap? I had to try  _something..._

Grabbing a good sized rock from the broken stairs, I decided to try and hammer the metal hook back in place where it belonged. I slammed and slammed and the metal banged and banged until it gave in at last, returning to a more stable position that wasn't as crooked. For safety measures, I gathered a pile of extra rocks and placed them tightly around the hook so it would have no chance of coming apart...or at least I hoped it wouldn't.

The rope was as safe as I could make it now, and I was going to have to cross it sooner or later. I just couldn't afford to waste another day entertaining my worst fears!

_One hand in front of the other. Stop. One hand in front of the other. Stop. One hand in front of the other. Stop._

I rinsed and repeated the first process, holding my breath so long I nearly caused myself to let go of the rope. I was nearing the middle, the end where the rope would 'unexpectedly' come loose from the hook and flail into the next pillar.

I waited...and waited...and waited, bracing myself for the  _snap_  that was meant to occur.

Nothing happened.

_Nothing happened!_

My feet were once again on solid ground, and the rope was still there!

It actually worked! I'd done it! I had stopped the rope from breaking! Now all I had to do was go across the third and last rope, and the best part was that this one wasn't going to break!

After giving myself a hard earned rest and my arms were ready to go, I got to work, my confidence taking over my fears bit by bit.

That is, until the high metal ledge swerved into an entirely upright position after pushing the eye off! I breathed slowly and calmly as possible, determined not to let my fear get the better of me. Trico had already jumped to the bottom of the circled stone pillar where he was supposed to be, free from his own fear of the eye now that it was gone. Climbing down the hole-covered metal crane like it was a ladder wasn't too difficult; the extremely slim and narrow hangers were the problem. It would be so easy to just lose my footing and go soaring into who knew where below, but Trico was ready, and just that thought alone was enough to comfort me to keep moving. Eventually, I had no choice but to jump to the giant cat bird.

Like I had known and trusted he would, Trico snatched me up by my orange shirt just before I could hit the ground! With a  _plop,_  he turned his head and released his catch. I thudded smoothly into the top of his back feathers, relishing my newfound safety. Already eager to get a move on, Trico rumbled and turned to the right, instinct guiding him forward up the start of the spiral staircase pillar.

_Another one? Leave this to me!_  The boy had so bravely declared when Trico stopped in his tracks, refusing to take another step. His eyes turning pink, I knew there was no other way to get him to keep moving forward until I destroyed the final glass eye that would allow us to finish moving up the pillar.

It was almost second nature by now, my fears deadened a little in a cozy background haze as I braved placing both hands onto the stone wall, edging carefully around the narrow border. Only letting out a sigh of relief once I was back on a normal set of stairs, my relief didn't last long when the stairs disappeared and I had to squeeze myself through a rough boulder, coming upon a second narrow rim until the stairs made themselves known once again and were there to stay. Unfortunately, I didn't need the stairs.

To my right rested a small, wooden beam. The eye hung from the beam, and I was going to have to cross it in order to shove the eye off. I did as I had to—

_The beam snapped!_

Though I had been expecting this, it was still  _un_ expected. I tumbled right to the edge, instantly grabbing the downed lever to stop myself from falling any further. Trico growled, reaching a talon out and stretching his head as though such actions would help. When he seemed to realize it was no use, he turned and headed back down the spiral stairs.

Now he was directly under me, and I would once again have to put my full trust and faith in him that he literally wouldn't let me down.

"Trico!" I called to make sure I had his full attention. His ears perked at the sound of my voice, his dark eyes unblinking as he waited for me to make my descent.

_I trust you, I trust you, I trust you,_  I thought frantically, releasing my hand from the lever.

The sensation of my stomach dropping didn't last long (surprisingly.) I would have been thankful had slow motion helped to ease my fall, but it turned out slow motion wasn't needed; I rode out the drop like a pro and then I was stopped from hurtling any further—

Trico had proved that he deserved my trust once again, holding my shirt safely in his mouth as I swung back and forth.

But then my shirt ripped from his grasp!

In all the excitement, I'd forgotten about that one little detail. My mind worked to its fullest, bringing forth the solution in the form of Trico's tail that swung in my direction.

Once more, all was steady. We could finally make our way back up, and I was a little disappointed that we had to climb the stairs again. Trico launched himself forward step after step, a few close calls here and there but always managing to regain himself on the crumbling stone.

"Almost there, buddy," I encouraged, giving Trico a gentle pat on his shoulder.

I had expected the fragile tower to crumble under Trico's weight the moment he leaped to the final ledge.

I had expected the original evil Trico to throw us off, sending us crashing down into the tree below where I would get stuck.

What I didn't expect was for the new, brown evil Trico to be perched atop the already crumbling tower as if it had been expecting us.

Its talons clutched expertly to the stone to keep itself from tumbling along with the tower, our eyes meeting in the split second that it took for it to steal me from my Trico's back.

I was yanked backwards into its jaws, struggling and screaming when Trico was left to face the plunging pillar on his own.

He turned his head in my direction as I was carried off higher and higher into the overcast sky, leaping from the pillar to a cliff as if he was going to try and jump off to get to me.

"No!  _Behind you!"_  I screeched.

My effort was wasted. The original evil Trico roared and swatted, sending my Trico plummeting to the earth while I was carried farther and farther away.


	15. Chapter 15

I couldn't believe I was even thinking it, but I was supposed to be on that crumbling tower with Trico! We were supposed to fall  _together!_  I wasn't supposed to be captured by a new Trico that originally had nothing to do with the game. Well, maybe it did, but it just hadn't been a central character like it was now.

Wind stung sharply at my face as the brown Trico pumped its wings to go faster. I'd tried to scream at it, but screaming did nothing. If I struggled too much, there was the possibility the Trico would drop me, and I  _definitely_  didn't want that with how we were hundreds of feet in the air. The Trico was completely unfazed no matter what I did, determined to bring me to wherever it was going to go.

Why hadn't it swallowed me yet? Not that I was complaining.

"Where are you taking me?" I tried to ask like it would understand my question. The Trico snorted as if in response, continuing on its way—I knew  _exactly_  where it was going to take me. We were on our way to the white tower! The Trico was going to dump me in one of the bird feeders as a sacrifice for the Master of the Valley. I shuddered when the tower itself suddenly came into my full view, hardly believing that this was even happening. I was dreaming. I had to be dreaming, and this had to be a nightmare!

But not even the cold, harsh wind succeeded in waking me up. I was still stuck in the brown Trico's grasp, the tower inching ever closer. My mind wandered away from the inevitable, my eyes closing in utter despair. Trico... _my_  Trico...was he even alive? Since the game was real now, he had probably taken a much worse fall than he would have in his virtual form. He had to be okay! I had to get back to him!

My thoughts grew hazy and weak, the chill of moving at such a fast pace through the breeze taking its toll. If the brown Trico didn't reach its destination or swallow me soon, I would much sooner meet my end simply hanging from its mouth.

"Please...go back," I murmured in a whisper, eyes blinking rapidly. I couldn't even tell if I was crying from the thought alone of losing my Trico or the streaks of wind far too strong and hard.

The brown Trico snorted again, shaking its head as though an annoying fly was circling about. I blinked in confusion when a bright, white glow caught my attention. Glancing down at my limp, hanging arms, I could see that they were... _glowing?_  Glowing the same white yet again, only this time the patterns on both of the backs of my hands and both arms were covered with it! The brown Trico roared suddenly, the mighty sound slamming into my ears—

My ears were the least of my problems as the entire world was now a spinning blur. Thanks to its roar, the brown Trico had _unexpectedly dropped me_  and I was hurtling towards my death! This was it. This was the end! Since the invisible hand had saved me from falling off the drawbridge, I knew it was  _definitely_  the end for me. There were no second chances, no coming back over and over like in the game. Why wasn't the hand saving me again?!

Too terrified to scream unlike when I'd first gotten captured by the guards, I settled for closing my eyes in acceptance. My Trico was gone. I was stuck in a  _video game_  of all things, and there was no way out unless I beat the game...at least, that's what I  _thought._  There were no guarantees. I didn't even notice at first when my falling was abruptly halted.

Who knew falling from so high up could be so slow? There wasn't supposed to be any slow motion in real life! Daring to open my eyes, I gasped when a cage-like... _elevator_  met my view. The open-air elevator was moving  _down_  instead of up, my heart rate speeding despite the calm descent. Craning my neck so I could see better, I found with shock greater than the fall itself that...the brown Trico had  _caught_  me? Letting out a gasp, there was nothing I could do but sit and wait in the creature's talons. It rumbled, only releasing me from its tight grasp when we were close enough to the ground. It snorted for its final time, shaking its head again in exasperation before taking off in the opposite direction away from me.

I waited until it was completely out of sight, only releasing a sigh of relief when it disappeared among the clouds. Something was very wrong with that Trico, if it could even be considered wrong...the first time we'd met face to face, it had refused the Master's orders to swallow me for transportation to the white tower. Now for our second encounter, it had defied the Master's orders to bring me to the tower yet  _again._  I came to the conclusion that maybe the brown Trico had some semblance of its own mind even while under the Master's influence, questioning its duties to kidnap children.

Tricos were friendly creatures at heart as mine had proved in game and in real life, so it wouldn't be far off to assume that the brown Trico was somehow fighting against the mind control. Despite its still-dangerous tendencies, sympathy filtered through me for the distressed beast; it only gave me another reason to try and beat the game besides going back home. I knew the Tricos' fate was a terrible one in the end, but maybe there was a way to save them...

Breathing heavily like I was in a never-ending fall, I raised both of my arms to find the white glow had ceased, including those on my hands. This was just getting weirder and weirder by the second! The glow was definitely spreading, but it seemed to appear at random times. Should I be worried? I never felt any different when the mysterious glow came to be...

Once my heartbeat slowed at last and my head cleared the best that it could for now, I took a closer look at my new surroundings where the brown Trico had left me to fend for myself—a cobblestone platform with an opening that led straight into an arena. I gulped, a sinking feeling enriching my gut. Inside that arena, numerous guards of armour awaited my presence. There was nowhere else for me to go, the platform simply reaching out and breaking off into the sky.

Should I wait for my Trico to find me somehow? The question if he was even alive returned to haunt my mind. As soon as the thought entered, a feeling of absolute  _worry_  nearly doubled me over. Of  _course_ I was worried about Trico, but I hadn't expected so much worry to physically hurt me. A bright light caught my attention, and I tore my gaze downwards to my hands. The white glow was back once again, but this time it was on the  _palms_  of both my hands. Scratch the fact that I never felt any different when the glow appeared...

What was happening to me? Was I connected to my Trico by some kind of link? Our bond that the mirror had needed in order to work? The glow on my palms persisted, images flashing before my very eyes as if I was actually in the places I pictured. My current location melted away, the tree where I was originally supposed to get stuck coming into view.

_'Where are you?'_  A voice asked frantically. It sounded just like mine, young in my child body and fearful as I was most of the time in this game.

_'I'm here!'_  I answered back in my own voice, automatically sending a picture of the entrance to the arena. Joy instantly replaced fear.

The tree flashed back to the outside platform, leaving me alone once again. The white glow on my palms faded, nothing but confusion following. Had Trico just tried to communicate with me? Was he really alive, and that was why I had seen the tree? I must have been seeing what he had been seeing...it had to be him! He was  _alive!_  Hope sparked warmly in my chest, questions bombarding my mind soon after. The white glow altogether was confusing. I still had no idea what it meant, but it had to be something good if I was able to let Trico know where I was.

Scrounging my memory, he had to get past the guards that held the glass eyes as shields. Would he even be able to do it without me to knock them down? He could always find another way around them, right? Same with the next energy filled pot...at least he wouldn't have to worry about saving me with his tail after falling under the rail tracks into the mini water cave.

I would have also had to feed him at some point. Would he be able to get the barrel on his own? Faith reassured me that he  _could;_  the game wasn't forcing him to lay down anymore, so he could search for barrels himself as he'd already proved by feeding me. At least I didn't have to worry about the collapsing stone bridge I would have had to jump across with the guards hidden cleverly inside just waiting for the perfect jump scare moment. I doubted I would have survived all the rock and rubble crashing on top of me, anyway. I could breathe easy...all I had to do was wait for Trico to get here.

Easier said than done. The only other place I could go was into the arena, and that wasn't really a good idea for obvious reasons. But I couldn't stay out here the whole time; the possibility of more, less forgiving Tricos pushed me closer to the arena's entrance. I could just hide inside and not have to go in the actual arena, right? I inched closer and closer, curiosity getting the better of me even though I already knew what lay ahead. It was the same yet different in real life after all, especially when you experienced things firsthand; my capture by the brown Trico had already proven that.

"Okay," I murmured to myself as I stepped into the arena. "Everything's okay."

Peeking to my left, I started to move slowly and quietly along the stands. A bright, blue glow came into view and I brightened just as much. Barrel! I could have a snack while I waited for Trico. Carefully, I bent down to pick up the barrel with my hands, taking a single finger and swiping it around the edge. I allowed the energy to fill me to the brim, sinking to my knees. I could rest until Trico came. The guards wouldn't be able to see me from here, so I could sleep however long I wanted. I laid down albeit uncomfortably, clutching the barrel for comfort as if it was a stuffed animal. I rolled over onto my side, ignoring the hard surface beneath me.

Though the barrel's energy helped to ward off tiredness, I just wanted to rest my eyes...

xxxx

_"Help!"_

The sudden and unexpected voice caused me to shoot into an awake and alert state, glancing frantically every which way. In all my surprise, I dropped the barrel I'd kept close to me. It clattered to the floor, the sound bouncing loudly off of the arena walls. I stilled, eyes widening at the thought that a guard had most likely heard the noise. But all was quiet...the guards would only be truly alerted if they saw any kind of movement.

I had to be imagining things again, but the voice hadn't sounded like it was coming from my head. The arena was dark now, the entrance to the outside black as night. I shuddered, the blue glow of the barrel the only light to keep me company. I stood up, using the 'toothpaste' as a flashlight to see my surroundings. I had probably just been dreaming...yeah, that was it.

_"Help!"_

I held the barrel out like a shield, its light illuminating the pitch black. Not even the opening above where Trico would use the cart to catapult me upwards released any kind of light.

He was almost here. I could feel it in my heart...Trico would be here by morning!

I could get inside the doors, find the boy and be done with it. From what I'd seen of the inside of the doors so far, it was nothing but a blue and white landscape—the same color as my tattoos when they glowed and the color of the barrels, I realized. I wouldn't have to search very long or far for the boy. Maybe he would even come to  _me..._ I had to try.

Slowly, I began to inch towards the center of the arena where the guards awaited below. If I squinted hard enough, I could just make out the faint green glow of their eyes.

What better time was there to go through the doors than  _now?_  If I was with Trico, I doubted that he would allow me to go through them at all. He would knock the guards to the ground, and that wasn't what I needed.

"Hello?" I tried calling.

_"Please help!"_

The voice answered! It actually _answered!_  Now that I was able to listen more closely, I was _sure_  it was the boy. It sounded exactly like him, so young and innocent and afraid...he needed my help!

But I was frozen, too stuck in my own fear of the guards to even try moving. Was I really going to do this—in the  _dark?_  Was I really going to allow a guard to toss me into a dreaded door?

A final " _Help!"_  sealed my decision. Light from the arena's opening began to creep in, allowing me to set down my light-shield barrel. Was it morning already? My heart leapt as I felt Trico jumping from a ledge and onto the platform outside. He'd done it! I didn't know how, but he'd gotten past the guards holding the glass eyes as shields! He'd gotten past the garlic aroma that would have otherwise distracted him too much from continuing onward! He'd managed to find food for himself!

It was then I realized I had to do this  _now._  Without second thought, I leaped down into the arena where I would be easily seen by the guards. They jumped awake and alive just as quick, and I simply stood right in the middle of the arena, waiting for their strong hands to grab me and take me to where I hoped I had actually heard the boy—the single door plastered to the wall in the middle of the arena.

I didn't even struggle when the strong hands I expected grabbed me harshly around my waist, the armour throwing me carelessly atop its shoulders.

A roar from outside broke its concentration for a split second, and the guard nearly dropped me but held fast. Two more emerged with glass eyes as shields, aiming directly at Trico. The beast roared again and stopped dead still as if the eyes themselves had frozen him. How had he gotten past the other guards before this point without me? I didn't know, but that didn't matter now. The glass eyes would force him to stay where he was, allowing me to go through the door. A group of guards followed the first, setting down their spears so they could clasp their hands together and send the green patterns shooting towards me. Good; besides the ones holding the eyes, they were too distracted to go after the terrified dog bird.

"I'm sorry, Trico," I apologized sincerely, weakly as the first guard dragged me ever closer to the blue-rimmed door. I was leaving him to be tormented by his worst fear...I wanted to help, I really did. But I had to do this. He wasn't going anywhere anytime soon, not with those eyes right in front of him. I reassured myself that the guards holding them wouldn't do anything other than  _keep_  on holding them.

"I have to...find...the boy..." I could no longer speak, the green patterns sticking to my tattoos, rendering me limp and completely covering my vision. The only thing I could see was a faint blue and white background as the guard gripped me tighter and casually stepped inside.

Then there was nothing.

xxxx

The guard's grip disappeared like it had never grabbed me at all, the green patterns fading. I breathed in and out, puffs of air melting into the blue and white colors that nearly stole my ability to see. I was floating through an empty space, platforms and ledges unavailable to stand on like they normally were. I simply floated like a balloon, glancing behind me to see the door slide shut. I cringed as it slammed, wrapping my arms around myself for protection from whatever was inside. The guards themselves had completely disappeared, leaving absolutely nothing in their wake.

I don't know why, but I had expected this place to feel cold. Instead, I felt...well, nothing. Nothing physical, at least. That's all it was. An endless, empty space of  _nothing._  How was it possible if this was where the guards came from? Why had they disappeared and where had they gone?

More importantly,  _where was the boy?_

"H-hello?" I called, straining my ears for any kind of response.

No answer.

The boy had to be here! I'd heard him!

"Hello?!" I called again, cupping my hands around my mouth.

_Hello?! Hello?!_  My own voice echoed back to me like I was inside a deep cave.

Time held still as I floated through the haunting space, an intense feeling of dread and horrible realization overcoming me.

_He's not here, he's not here, he's not here!_ It was a trap!

The Master had to have set it up!

_'No, he's not.'_

My eyes bulged at the new voice that had made itself known. It sounded similar to the boy, yet it  _wasn't._  It was young and innocent, but wise beyond its years. Was this the voice that I'd heard?

I couldn't see anyone except a bright, golden light that pulsed in time with the voice.

_'But he is somewhere,'_  another voice giggled innocently, a second golden light flickering along with its laughter.

_'You seem to have been misplaced,'_  a third voice mused with the same golden light flashing at its words.

"W-who are you?" I stammered, readying myself to run.

Well, I couldn't exactly _run._ This was the worst idea I'd ever had! I never should have allowed the guard to throw me in!

Another golden streak swept past my vision, pulsing in tune to the young and innocent tone.

I didn't know what I was expecting, but I certainly hadn't been expecting what the first voice that had spoken calmly answered.

_'We are the Chosen Ones.'_


	16. Chapter 16

_"Be among the chosen ones,"_  I could remember a man saying as the boy had been taken away by Trico in the game. I'd always thought that the 'chosen ones' were simply previous children who had been kidnapped and brought to the tower, a metaphor for those brought together under unfortunate circumstances. Never did I think the Chosen Ones were actually 'chosen' for real!

_'Your shock is understandable,'_  the first voice said, its golden light flickering with each word it spoke. This one seemed to be the leader of the other two, more confident and bold than I could ever be. I floated in place, eyes wide and unable to answer in all my surprise. The Chosen Ones...I was actually talking to the  _Chosen Ones!_  It was impossible! Then again, I'd already gone through a lot of things that were supposed to be impossible. Why was this time any different?

_'Don't be afraid,'_  the second voice said. Just by the tone of its voice, this one seemed to be willing to take risks and be adventurous—the complete opposite of myself.

"I-I'm not afraid," I tried to say with equal boldness as the first two voices. I tried to reassure myself that they were the Chosen Ones and not the Master. They wouldn't hurt me...would they?

_'Your Bond Energy betrays you,'_  the third and last voice said.  _'Be not afraid. We have no intention to bring harm.'_

I let out a quick sigh of relief, my tense muscles loosening. So they were on my side...if any sides were to be taken.

"My...Bond Energy?" I questioned, curiosity getting the better of me.

Another horrible realization struck, almost worse than when I'd discovered the Master had tricked me into going through the door. Why did it seem that emotions were more intense in this not-so-empty area?

Had I been...eating children this whole time? That's what the energy was in the barrels, wasn't it? I'd been eating  _kids_  this entire time, and these lights were their spirits! The need to release my disgust came forth, but nothing would come out. Instead I settled for gripping my stomach as a vile sensation swept up and down my gut.

Laughter echoed throughout the space.  _'Fear not. What you assume to be in the barrels is not what is expected at all.'_

Were they able to read my mind here? They could obviously pick up on some of what I was thinking, and I wasn't sure what to think about that.

_'We have been watching you for awhile now. The barrels you have eaten sustain you with the Bond Energy to go on.'_

So _they_  were the ones who had been watching me? That's why it had felt like almost everywhere Trico and I went, a pair of eyes were following our every move? I thought back to the time I'd screamed at the Master that I wasn't scared, the wall torch blowing in my direction soon after. Had that been them or the Master? I wasn't sure at this point, and maybe I never would be.

The voices spoke all at once and merged, their golden lights streaking across the blue and white background every now and then like shooting stars. These three voices couldn't be the only ones here; guesstimating from the old look of the ruins, there had to be more, but the three lights were currently the only ones I could see; maybe the others were too shy—or maybe the Tricos had been kidnapping children for longer than the game was able to reveal.

_'But it is not just the Energy itself that sustains.'_

_'Long ago, we forged Companionship between the majestic creature Trico.'_

_'Or it was the Trico who had forged Companionship with us.'_

_'These creatures were specifically bred to be protectors of the Chosen Ones, but most of all to be Companions, to be friends and allies.'_

_'We did not know at the time that certain Companionships had already been predetermined, but it became clear there were only certain ones_ — _Chosen Ones_ — _that the Trico chose to form a special Bond with.'_

_'You see, the Bonds we had created with each other were so strong that we were able to provide the land with the physical energy it needed.'_

_'As well as food for our dear and beloved Companions. They could thrive with what the land gave, but with the special Energy our Bonds created, they were able to live.'_

_'But it was not meant to last. The Energy we provided was bountiful, but became twisted and corrupt...'_

_'The more we took, the less we had.'_

_'The land began to crumble...'_

_'Our Bonds were destroyed, or so we thought.'_

_'We became addicted to our own power, betraying our Companions by taking control of their minds to do our bidding and bring more Chosen Ones.'_

"..You guys are the Master of the Valley?" I couldn't help but interrupt, eyes widening in my sudden realization when their words finally reached my ears. I floated backwards on instinct, my fight or flight response taking place. The voices didn't seem to notice. If they had but just didn't say anything, I hoped they weren't offended.

_'In a sense,'_  the second voice said slowly, a hint of sadness in its tone.

_'Even under the Master's influence, a bit of our original Energy Bonds remain.'_

_'We try and leave special Bond Energy for our remaining Companions, though we hardly have enough Energy to do so ourselves.'_

_'The Bond Energy sometimes finds itself in strange places not intended for a Companion to go.'_

So that was where the barrels had come from...every single barrel that lay scattered about the ruins were from the Chosen Ones, including the pot I'd eaten my breakfast out of! The barrels in the tight spaces where my Trico could hardly fit...it was because they didn't have enough Energy to place the barrels in more logical places where a Trico would be able to find them.

"But if you're leaving food...why don't the other Tricos just eat what you've given them instead of taking kids and getting rewards from the Master?"

_'The other Companions are still under the influence of the Master. He controls what they do, sees what they see. It will not allow them to eat the barrels, only giving them just enough in return for bringing the children.'_

_'But we still leave them with the hope that one day, they will break free from the Master's command as your Trico has done.'_

_'Though we can no longer control that which threatens to break loose.'_

"What do you mean 'break loose?'" I questioned. That couldn't be good.

_'Our Companions still bring Chosen Ones to the Master, sacrificing their Bond Energy.'_

_'Trying to keep alive what is already diminishing.'_

_'The Master needs a body to truly live, and the Bond Energy will fill the body with life.'_

A body? Where was a body in the game? My mind temporarily flashed back to the bright, freezing room where I'd first found the mirror. The reflective shield had been located atop a strange, body-like statue. As soon as the realization hit, my sickness from thinking I had eaten the souls of children returned. So the Master was using Tricos already bonded with certain children to kidnap them and take their Energy to store life in the statue, but not just  _any_  life. The _Master's_  life! The Master needed a body of its own, and it was using the Bond Energy of children to get what it wanted. If that ever happened, I didn't know what I would do; I'd lose the game just laying eyes on the newly created giant!

_'There are still children who have no idea their equivalent of a soulmate is waiting for them. It is unfortunate that their Companion is currently trapped under the Master's control, stealing them away to their ends.'_

The Tricos had been so shell-shocked when their mind control had been destroyed. I'd assumed it was because they had been practically raised under the Master's conditioning and didn't know what to do with themselves once they were free, but it was so much more. They were supposed to protect and look after their kids, not bring them to their deaths. The ending of the game just became a lot more dark and sad than it already was...

"What about the boy?" I murmured in an attempt to get my mind off of the Tricos' horrible fate. "You said you know he isn't here, but he is somewhere. Any chance you can tell me where, exactly?"

_'We know he is somewhere, but not exactly where. Our Energy is not strong enough to tell.'_

It looked like I had to figure things out on my own, but I was glad they'd at least told me the boy was still alive. Wherever he was hidden by the Master, I hoped he was okay. If he was having any kind of trouble like I was just trying to get by, chances of the boy's own survival were unfortunately just as low as mine.

I snapped myself out of my momentary misery when the second voice spoke up again. I don't know why, but this one was my favorite. Just hearing how adventurous it was by the sound of its voice made me wish I could be as brave.

_'We understand you are not from this world,'_  it said.

I nodded my head slowly in a stupor, wondering just how they figured that out. Did they know they weren't supposed to be real, that  _none_  of this was supposed to be real? That everything here originally belonged to a Playstation video game titled The Last Guardian?

I settled for another question instead. "Do you know how I got here...?"

It was a long shot, but if anyone knew why or how I'd gotten sucked into a video game, it had to be the Chosen Ones, even if they had never been a part of real life before.

_'We do not understand why or how,'_  the first voice answered with regret.

I couldn't help but slump my shoulders in disappointment a bit. Not even the Chosen Ones knew how I had gotten sucked into this game...

Their voices merged again.

_'There are many different worlds, many different universes.'_

_'Anything can happen at any time.'_

_'But not everything can be explained.'_

I remembered how lightning had struck the Playstation in my apartment. Or had it? I remembered how it had been raining and storming that night. There had been a flash, and then all had gone dark until I woke up in the cave with Trico. I didn't know what to think anymore, but somehow their words that not everything had to have a reason for happening comforted me, if such a thing was even possible.

_'We have been trapped here for a very long time,'_ the first voice said, pulling me back to reality.

"Are there more of you?" I asked, scanning the background again for any signs of more lights than the three in front of me. Nothing was there!

_'The Lost Ones' Bond Energy crumbles and gives way.'_

The Lost Ones?

Was that why I couldn't see them? Was that why the guards had simply vanished upon entering the door? Question after question rang through my mind non-stop, but I didn't want to be too overbearing; they'd answered so much for me already.

_'To try and escape this endless space.'_

_'Only to be transformed into something they are not.'_

"...You mean the guards?"

I could almost feel a nod from the third, more timid voice.

The sick feeling returned yet again, refusing to leave this time. I held back my need to let out my disgust at the thought that Trico was destroying kids as he smacked and tossed the suits of armour around like they were nothing but toys. I didn't know what was worse—the possibility that I had been eating children (which I had thankfully been told I  _hadn't_ ) or Trico destroying the very kids I had feared I ate.

_'They are free now,'_  the first voice comforted.  _'A free Trico will see past the armour into their souls, becoming determined to free them of their horrid body prison.'_

So it wasn't just because Trico was afraid of the armour or the glass eyes...

_'They can never return to this place.'_

_'Unless they return as the suits of armour and their souls give way.'_

_'And we will never see them again until we are free.'_

_'But we are not free,'_  the third voice explained wearily, nervously. Its golden light was just inches away now, and curiosity began to get the better of me. I reached a hand out but pulled it back just as quick, face flushing red in embarrassment. Why had I ever thought I could do something like that?!

_'It's alright,'_  the voice said, shakiness in its tone giving away its false bravery.

To my surprise, the light crept closer. I stretched my hand out slower than a snail, chills riding up and down my spine as our proximity closed in.

My hand went right through as if I were touching a ghost, but the familiar sensation of an invisible, yet physical hand wrapping around my own returned.

"It was you," I breathed, eyes widening in shock. For once, it was a good kind of shock. "You were the one who saved me."

The most timid, nervous voice of them all had been the one to save me from missing the end of Trico's tail and falling off the drawbridge. Looking back now, it was weird to think an invisible ghost child had climbed down Trico's back to reach his hand out. I was grateful beyond belief all the same, especially since it turned out I wasn't so crazy after all and hadn't hallucinated the entire event.

"Thank you," I said with every ounce of sincerity I had. The light backed away, bobbing up and down slightly.

_'We are the only ones left whose souls have not given into the cruel flow of time,'_  the first voice said.

_'Newcomers do not last very long, running out of hope soon after they arrive.'_

Sadness erupted in me like a punch to the gut. Out of all the hundreds, maybe even _thousands_  of kidnapped children who were sacrificed by their own Companions for the Master of the Valley, these three were the only ones left? I couldn't imagine...

_'You need to return before your own soul crumbles. Your Companion needs you.'_

Guilt instantly filtered through. I'd left Trico alone in the arena to face his worst fear, and now it was time to go back and help him fight.

"Wait! What about you?" I couldn't just leave them here! They'd done so much for me! I had to do  _something_  for them; there had to be another way to free them besides turning into guards and Trico stomping them to pieces!

_'We will be alright,'_  the second voice said, flashing strongly like it was trying to prove its point. I could tell that it was anything  _but_  fine.

_'We will be watching over you, but there is only so much we can do with what little Energy we have.'_

The Chosen Ones did not deserve to be trapped here, and so I made a resolve to help them in any way that I possibly could as I felt myself suddenly fading away. Were they helping me go back, even though they hardly had enough Energy to do so? The blue-rimmed door slid open again, and I felt my very soul itself slipping out of my grip as though I was having an out of body experience.

The last question that crossed my mind before everything went dark was how would I get the remaining guards in the arena to drop their glass-eyed shields, especially knowing what I knew now?


	17. Chapter 17

Upon my return to the non-spirit world, Trico was right where I'd left him. The two guards holding their horrid glass eyes kept him in place, and he hadn't budged at all, only shaking and growling at his enemies that stood before him.

But the suits of armour weren't really enemies, were they? If anything, they were simply...misunderstood. They were the spirits of the Lost Ones whose souls had crumbled as the Chosen Ones had explained, and the Master had them under its influence now just like the Tricos—they probably had no idea what they were doing. Had they been aware of their actions, I assumed that they would be horrified they had tormented a Trico...or Companion.

I crept closer to the two guards, coming into Trico's view. His head perked as he spotted me moving in his direction, but was otherwise stock-still besides growling and eyes glowing a frightening pink. I wondered now if he really was just afraid of the glass eyes, or hesitant to attack because of the truth behind the armour—that they were the Chosen Ones transformed into Lost Ones. Whatever his reason, he refused to take another step.

Right behind the guards now, I reached a hand out to tap one's shoulder.  _What am I doing?_  was a question I seemed to ask myself a lot in this game. But I knew I didn't really have anything to worry about; these were the types of guards too determined to keep tormenting Trico to notice anything else, even any kid that would happen to be wandering nearby.

My hand rested on its shoulder, and I took it away just as quick. The guard didn't even flinch, continuing to hold onto the shield as if its life depended on it. Now that I knew what I knew, I was hesitant to try and get them to drop the shields. If I did that, then Trico would overcome his fear and leap off of the platform into the arena, stomping the armour to pieces. The Chosen Ones had told me that the Lost Ones would become free, but it still didn't feel right. As they were now as the hideous suits of armour, the Lost Ones were trapped just as much as their counterparts who were stuck inside the doors.

I couldn't just stand here all day and allow Trico to be harassed like this, though. We needed to get a move on, to make as much distance as possible before the day ended. Light was beginning to seep in from the arena's entrance and the opening above, signaling a new day had arrived. I wasn't sure how long I'd been stuck in the game now, and it scared me to think I might have been here longer than I thought, the days starting to blur together and making it harder to keep track of time.

Sighing, I made up my mind to just get it over with as soon as possible. The Lost Ones didn't deserve to be trapped unaware in their current bodies. But how was I going to get them to drop the eyes? Scanning the arena for anything that might be of use, I spotted a lone helmet off to the side of the right wall. Bending down to pick it up, I moved closer to the guards again and grunted, using all my strength to toss said helmet directly behind the eyes.

_Bullseye!_  I thought proudly when my target was hit.  _Literally a bullseye..._

I shook my head, cringing at my inward joke. Glass shattered everywhere, forcing me to take a few steps back. Now a new problem presented itself: the Lost One who had dropped its eye now had its full attention on  _me._  Its own glowing, green eyes brightened at the sight of a small child, instantly reaching its arms out to try and grab me around the waist. I avoided its grasp with a quick run to the left, my mind racing. How could I make such a stupid mistake? I was never going to get the second guard to drop the last shield now!

"Please don't do this," I begged, as if trying to get through to the trapped child was somehow going to help. "This isn't you! There's still hope; I can find another way to free you!"

The guard was relentless, seeming to run even faster in my direction. When they were determined to do something, they would get it done...especially when it came to kidnapping other children. If I was accidentally grabbed, it was going to force me back into the door with the Chosen Ones, and I doubted that they had enough Bond Energy to send me back a second time. I couldn't allow it!

A quick glance to the left next to the other guard still standing with its shield, and I caught sight of the one that had been dropped. If I could pick up spears unlike in the game...maybe I could pick up the shields, too. I didn't have much time to test my theory, racing back towards the remaining guard to bend down and lift the glass eye with its handle. The thing was heavier than expected and I almost stumbled backwards but managed to regain my footing, struggling to keep hold of the eye. Unsure of what to do next, I moved almost blindly in front of the guard still standing in front of Trico, merging our shields together so both were out of Trico's view.

"Sorry about this," I murmured quietly, bracing myself for impact. Before the second guard could wrap its strong, suffocating hands around me, I was flung through the air to the side, screeching as my  _literal_  side cramped and I buckled breathlessly to the floor. Ear-shattering roars split the air, green gas exploding brightly and just as soon vanishing into nothing.

I covered my head with my hands, curling into ball with my arms wrapped around my legs.

_They're free now,_ I attempted to reassure myself, but it was hard not to think that I had just taken away innocent lives along with Trico's help, even though they weren't so innocent now. His roars quieted and he squeaked with joy, practically running on top of me. He stopped himself before he could make contact, lowering his nose to sniff at my covered head. Our Energy Bond flickered to life, happiness that we were finally reunited and worry if I was alright crossing between us. I dropped my arms slowly, reaching out to give his head a gentle pat. I still don't know how he managed to find food for himself in the short time we were separated or how he'd gotten past the garlic aroma that would have otherwise prevented him from going onwards, but none of that really mattered as long as we were together. I was actually glad that I'd gotten to skip the part where I would have had to fall in the water cave and get out using Trico's tail.

"Alright," I said, gathering enough strength to stand. My side ached like it had a stitch from the force of Trico's talon as it had swiped at the guards, but I bit my tongue and fought against the sharp pain. I glanced straight ahead where three cage alcoves rested, a certain carriage waiting inside. I took a deep breath, trying to garner enough courage along with what little strength I had. I didn't want to do this next part at all, but it was necessary in order to continue on. I moved towards the cage at the very end to the left, but first stood in the middle so I could give the directions to Trico that he needed.

It had already worked when I'd shown him how to do something by miming the action I needed him to do, so I brought my hands up and down in a repeated, frenzied motion. Trico tilted his head to the side, obviously confused by what I was asking of him. I paused, pointing a single hand to the mechanism that he needed to pull, and then continued the up and down motion. Trico snorted, shaking his head not from defiance, but from ever more confusion. I sighed, grunting when my tender side unleashed a sharp pang. I repeated the action once more, just hoping he would eventually get it. I didn't know what else to do to show him that  _he_  was the one who needed to open the gate, not me!

I panted, my arms becoming too sore and tired to keep it up. Trico huffed and sat like he was tired of watching me do the same thing over and over, putting one talon on the gear. _Yes!_ I thought, hope beginning to boil. The metal clanked and rattled as he played with the mechanism, the cage to the far left opening at last.

_Yes, yes, yes!_  He'd done it! He actually opened the cage! I could finally go inside! Trico sensed my joy, letting out a happy chirp as though he was proud of what he'd accomplished after so many tries. I entered the newly accessible yet cramped area, already knowing what I was looking for.

The cart was even more of a pain to drag out than the  _real_  pain in my side. Groaning, I dragged the wooden carriage the best that I could, its attached wheels actually a big help when it came to moving the object. Staring up at the metal holed opening where I would have to (eventually) allow Trico to catapult me upwards, I placed the cart in such a way that I would be able to 'soar' and grab onto one of the metal ledges. Thankfully, Trico was already curious of the strange toy. He edged closer to it for inspection, lifting a talon curiously.

_Now? Already?_  I grumbled inwardly to myself. If I didn't get on the end of the cart now, there was no telling when Trico would be curious enough to play with it again. Taking another deep breath, I placed one foot on the edge of the cart...hesitated...and then another. There wasn't any time for hesitation, or even to prepare myself and close my eyes. Trico didn't bother at all with a warning either, his urge to play much too strong.

_**SLAM.** _

The only thing I could do was hope I wouldn't spiral so far upwards that I would miss the ledge altogether and fly even further up towards the ceiling. Was this how astronauts shooting up to space in a rocket felt? I didn't want to know. I only had one chance to grab a ledge—one chance, or I would miss and go up higher or just fall hundreds of feet back to the dirt-covered ground. Despite the speed at which I was flying, I attempted in vain to reach my arms out above my head so I could grab onto the first metal ledge I came into contact with.

Once my hands instinctively wrapped around one of the ledges, I gripped onto it tightly and simply hung there to try and regain my bearings. Had I really just done what I did? Did I  _really_  just do that? I had to be dreaming or making all of this up in my mind, but I knew even I wouldn't dare make up something like this. Breathing heavily, I pulled myself up, positioning my feet at an angle where I wouldn't be able to lose my balance.

_Don't look down._  How many times had I told myself that already? It was getting so tiring...

Curiosity got the better of me and I looked down to see Trico staring up, waving a front leg as if he was trying to get me to go  _back_  down. When it was obvious that such a thing wouldn't be possible, he lost interest and disappeared out of sight, which was okay with me. I knew where he was going; surprisingly, I didn't feel as queasy as I stared down at what I previously thought would be my doom.

Though I  _did_  make a promise to myself I was never going to do that again.

Once I was sure my balance was stable enough, I glanced all around at three levers that awaited me to pull them down. I obliged, heading into the cave-like tunnel that led to the outside ledge where the brown Trico had left me. My own Trico made himself known, craning his neck so he could see me clearly. I moved back far enough to a point where he wouldn't be able to crush me upon jumping up, the ground quaking underneath his weight. Together, we inched back through the dimly-lit tunnel to return to the metal opening. But before we could reach our destination, I sensed Trico stopping behind me. I turned around, only to see him...squatting? His dark eyes were even darker, as though he was squinting them in relief.

I blanched slightly. "Are-are you..."

I decided to just give him his privacy. But this caused a new question to form—if Trico ate the barrels like I did, yet he still had to go to the bathroom, then why couldn't I? I settled for the explanation that maybe since I wasn't from this world, the blue goo affected me differently, something that I was actually kind of happy about.

With all of the cages opened already, we could pick and choose which one to go through next, and I specifically chose the one that led to another outside area that reminded me somewhat of the top of a red-bricked roof. The sound of rushing water reached my ears, a sign that the waterfall I knew so well waited up ahead. Trico gladly followed my footsteps and it was only until we reached the end of the roof did I use his feathers to climb to the top of his head. Feeling the top of my own for the feather to make sure it was still there, I reached an arm out to point a finger in the direction that Trico was supposed to jump.

The swirling mist from the waterfall became heavier, making it a little harder to see, though Trico had no problem making a soft and steady landing atop the waterfall itself. I didn't bother climbing back down his body, instead pointing a finger outwards again to show him the way inside another tunnel, this time one that was filled with water. His talons splashed this way and that, but he didn't seem to mind getting a little wet, which was good. The  _both_  of us were going to have to get a  _lot_  wet soon enough. One more finger point and Trico jumped with relative ease to the top of a high, stone ledge.

One that I was  _definitely_  not going to jump off of by myself.

I've been to water parks before and have never been the type to just jump right off of a high dive. Some of my friends were daredevils and had no trouble with doing so, but not me. Ever since my cousin tricked me into going on that river rafting ride with all the drops, I refused to let myself give into anymore peer pressure. No matter what, I wasn't even going to talk  _myself i_ nto jumping down without Trico's help. Since he knew my finger command so well, I decided to give it a try again, holding tightly as humanly possible onto as many feathers as I could grab hold of. To my fear and surprise all in one, Trico made a decision himself to listen right away to what I had told him to do.

Letting out an excited chirp,  _much_  more excited than I would ever be, Trico readied himself and nosedived down into the big, square-shaped pool. Instantly realizing my mistake as we dived deeper than I thought we would, I was forced to close my eyes at the sudden impact as a rush of water forced me down along with Trico.

_Go up, go up, go up, go up,_  I mentally encouraged, not prepared for holding my breath more than thirty seconds. With a loud  _splash_  we breached the water and surfaced together. I continued holding onto Trico's feathers for dear life, happy that I was able to open my eyes again. I shook my head to try and get rid of the droplets of water running down my face, allowing Trico to make his way to the shore. Once Trico hoisted himself to the stone floor, he hardly gave me a chance to dry before  _shaking,_ and you probably know how that ended up.

Well, it didn't really matter. I was going to get wet again, anyway—I had to go back in the pool, and I had to  _dive_ all by myself to get a secret underwater gate open.

I told myself it would be fine. I might not be able to hold my breath very long, but it wasn't going to take that long at all. With that, I jumped back into the pool, dog-paddled towards a rusty gate, sucked in a big mouthful of air and held it, diving down with my arms outstretched and my feet acting as paddles to propel myself forward into a tiny hole that only I could fit through. Already running out of air and feeling my chest beginning to burn, I kicked until I finally reached the surface. Gasping in and out, I waited until my breath completely returned before climbing up a ladder situated against a stone ledge.

One pull of a lever later and I had no choice but to dive back into the water, hold my breath again and resurface, and call Trico to come in with me. Ears flicking at the sound of my voice and the sight of his friend treading water, he rumbled and heeded to my call. Soon we were both in the water, mimicking each other's dog paddling.

There was only one problem now—how on  _earth_  was I going to get him to dive? I doubted that just pointing down below was going to do any good. I couldn't exactly pull his tail in the water to get him where he needed to go. Perhaps he would follow me if I went down by myself...he absolutely hated to be left alone. It had to work! My mind made up, I risked going back underwater to make a dive. If nothing happened, I could go right back. A muffled, worried grumble was heard from above, and as soon as I spotted a gray blur amid the many white bubbles, I took my chance and grabbed onto Trico's feathers, which weren't as easy to hold onto when they were soaking wet. Except the only problem was  _I missed his feathers and he continued diving without me!_

Panicking, my arms flailed as I pushed myself back up. Trico had dived, but had left me behind. Now there was no one but me in the pool, and it was kind of freaky; I had never liked it when I couldn't see the bottom of the water. But if I squinted hard enough, I could see a massive shape making its way towards the surface...was it a shark?! I prepared myself to make a break for shore, but then—

Trico surfaced, causing a minor wave to sweep me further from him.

He actually came back for me!

"Good boy," I murmured. "Thanks for coming back." At least he hadn't left me behind altogether. I dog paddled closer to him, holding onto his soaking feathers the best I could while he was in motion, swimming in place while he waited for another command.

The only problem now was trying to make him dive  _again._  I was at a total loss, just like how many players were when they'd reached this level. Either it took them a very long time to figure things out, or Trico was just very stubborn when it came to diving. What was I going to do? I pictured Trico going under in my mind as if it would help, remembering how he'd been able to find me after we were separated by the brown Trico. Perhaps some visualizing would work...

Trico rumbled, allowing my pictures to sink into his own mind...

And then he dived.

He actually  _dived!_

My plan had worked! All I had to do was hold my breath for just a little longer—yes! My burning chest loosened the moment we broke free of our watery tunnel, a patch of sunlight seeping in from above in a brand new water cave. Trico made his way to a grassy hill located a little to the left of the pond's shore, and I had to get off of him before he began to shake again so I wouldn't be tossed everywhere like nothing but a ragdoll.

The little bit of sunlight helped fight against the chill that breezed past my body due to my soaking robe, desperately clinging to my skin. But we weren't supposed to go to shore!

"Come on, buddy," I said, pointing to a gap straight ahead that was opposite from the grassy hill. "We have to go over there."

Trico snorted impatiently, as if  _he_  had been the one waiting for me to do something. I rolled my eyes in response, climbing back onto his body so we could jump into the water once again. The small, open gap contained something very important—an energy filled barrel. Once Trico was close enough, I was able to simply make a short jump from his head to the ledge right across, crawling into the small hole where the barrel rested tightly in the ground.

_Why did the creators make this game so hard?_  I whined inwardly to myself, struggling to get the barrel loose. Finally, I held it tightly in my grasp. I stared down at the blue energy dripping off of the sides, not as quick to eat it as I had been before. The Chosen Ones had reassured me that it wasn't  _them_  I was eating, but I still was confused as to what it was, exactly. They'd said the physical bond that had been formed after creating Companionship with the Tricos, but didn't that mean I was now eating the bond away, something that they wouldn't want? It was all so confusing...but I told myself it was fine, that the barrels hadn't done anything bad to me, at least.

So I decided to continue eating the energy inside, making sure to save some for Trico. He was still waiting in the water where I'd left him, his ears perking forward when he spotted me approaching from the hole. Fully confident he would catch it, I smiled when my confidence prevailed and Trico snatched the barrel out of thin air after throwing it forward with my arms. Besides what the Chosen Ones had said about the barrel's contents, it was strange yet comforting at the same time to know that they were doing their best to look after us. Or more specifically, the Tricos, even though most of them were under the Master's command.

Time to stop stalling. My next step was to dive to a second underwater hole, and I wasn't looking forward to it—but I'm pretty sure I was starting to get the hang of things. Diving wasn't really that bad, and I'd come to terms with it. Diving was  _necessary_  in this part of the game, and we weren't going to get anywhere if I  _didn't_  do anything. The next lever I had to get to was blocked by a ladder that wasn't complete. It was broken at the bottom, hardly leaving me anything at all to grab onto and climb, but I already knew what to do in a situation like this.

I tested my visualization theory again, that my mind was connected to Trico's somehow. I pictured him jumping off of the grassy hill, making a huge tidal wave. From behind the bars of the gate, I could see that he was starting to understand what I needed of him. Why hadn't I learned how to do this mind thing sooner?! Maybe our bond just hadn't been strong enough yet...

I closed my eyes, bracing for the wave to come. This had always been one of my favorite puzzles in the game; it was just so clever the way Trico's wave would lift the boy up to the platform without any need of a ladder! But the wave itself was a lot stronger in real life than the game. I suffocated for a moment, its force pushing me upward and nearly shoving me into the lever, falling straight to my knees when the large wave receded.

A third test proved that indeed, my mind and Trico's were somehow connected. I could visualize him doing something and he would follow my command, making it easier for me instead of trying to physically show him a task, especially when it came to making him dive once again.

But there was no visualization technique that could prevent him from continuing onward through the infamous, deep water tunnel where the boy would have been forced to release his grip from Trico.

The only way forward was back, and then there would be nowhere to go but under.

_'We will be watching over you,'_  I remembered the Chosen Ones saying. If they hadn't bothered to comfort me then, I wouldn't have trusted that I would indeed wake up again after losing consciousness.

_I could hold my breath no longer, my Companion disappearing from sight..._

xxxx

As expected, Trico was nowhere to be found once I came to. I moaned and coughed, freeing water from my lungs. The black tattoos on my arms glinted green from the water's reflection, and I was barely strong enough to pull myself up. Looking down at my body, I could see that my robe was absolutely filthy even though I'd just taken a little 'bath.'

If it had been scary for the boy to be all alone without his Companion in the game, it was even more scary in real life. I was all by myself now, and I didn't know what to make of it. Of course, Trico and I had already been separated, but not as long as we would be now. I could try visualizing to see if it would help him find me quicker, but I was confident that he didn't need my help; he'd been able to find the boy on his own, so he would be able to find me. I just had to follow this part of the game the way it was supposed to go until I was trapped in the cage-elevator and Trico would break through the wall of the mountain to get to me.

"Trico," I whispered quietly in the dark and damp cave. "I know you'll find me."

With that, I made my way through the tunnel that led out of the cave and into another, coming upon a stone, circled platform with murky water all around, and a headless guard in the left corner. Stepping towards pattern-filled circles in the floor, they lit up the same kind of blue as the energy in the barrels.

_'The Bonds we had created with each other were so strong that we were able to provide the land with the physical energy it needed,'_ I recalled the Chosen Ones explaining.

So this was Bond Energy, the very thing that kept the land going strong. Or what little land was left. It was starting to make more sense as I moved towards the second circle on the right, causing the left to go dark and this one to light up with the same, shining blue color.

It clicked.

The mirror! Just like how I would get the mirror to work by concentrating on my Bond with Trico, the other physical aspects also focused on that Bond Energy in order to work like this. I wondered if I should post my findings online once I got back to the real world. Would the Chosen Ones mind? I eventually decided against it out of respect.

I stepped back into the left circle. The markings similar to my tattoos lit up, and a  _clank_  sounded from above, a metal elevator descending. Not even thinking about it, I moved inside and just as my feet made contact, blue flashed and it began to raise itself up.

Elevators weren't too bad in my book. I wasn't really claustrophobic, so the small space didn't bother me. It was just the idea of getting banged and bruised as the cage rolled around like a tumbleweed that wasn't appealing. At last, I reached the floor above, spotting the railing that I had to use to get to the other side. I wished the calming music that would normally play in the background was still there to soothe my anxiety of being alone. Without it, the dank area was hauntingly quiet and I didn't like it one bit. I stopped by the edge of the rail, staring out across from it.

This was no tightrope, so I couldn't just hang like I 'usually' preferred. I had to be extremely careful and keep my balance, otherwise I would fall into the bottomless, dark pit below. Based on the fact that the Chosen Ones had saved me from falling off the drawbridge, I wouldn't come back. There were no second chances! Though I'd already done enough of holding my breath in the pools, I sucked in yet  _another_  deep breath anyway and brought myself up over the rail.

No thoughts of  _I can't do this,_  and for some reason, that scared me more than the task I was about to perform. I didn't even tell myself not to look down, more confident in my stride than I had ever been before. I guessed that being around tall buildings and pillars and being forced to face your fears helped a  _lot_  in the long run. Was I actually,  _really_  getting used to all of this? Before I knew it, I reached the other side, jumping off the rail to a set of broken stairs. Though they weren't complete, I could still walk up them, avoiding sharp rubble that would surely cut my cold and bare feet.

Two more sets of stairs and stone ledges I had to jump up, I grabbed green vines attached to a mountain-like wall that led me around and up to a higher level. A metal chain hung listlessly directly in front of me, just begging for my hands to get ahold of it.

Nothing had changed about my opinion on chains; they were still one of my least favorite parts of the game. I climbed up anyway, reaching a wooden path I could walk across to another patch of vines I needed to climb.

_Wait for it..._

3, 2, 1...

A single, gray feather floated down from out of nowhere. Of course, I already knew where that feather had come from: the original evil Trico! But what surprised me before I could even get my hands on the vines to climb up...

Was  _another_  feather that followed the first like a leaf on the wind, and this feather in particular was  _brown._

_Oh, no._

The  _two_  of them were here?

In the game, it had just been the Trico that had tossed  _my_  Trico off of the side of the mountain and had sent him spiraling back down to where we'd started. I'd wondered where the original had gone after it had knocked down my Trico, so of course I'd expected that it would probably end up back here where it was supposed to go anyway. But I'd had no clue where the brown Trico would have gone after leaving me by myself, and now I had my answer.

I made my way cautiously across the last patch of vines, expertly gripping handfuls of leaves until I plopped myself atop a stone, green-covered ledge. Lifting my head up slowly and remaining as quiet as possible, not even daring to breathe, I caught sight of my next hurdle—using the Trico's tail that hung through a hole in the wooden platform above to get to a fallen branch.

A fragile branch that was going to snap and ultimately wake not one, but  _two_  Tricos who were now unknowingly waiting for their little victim. I couldn't see the other Trico's tail hanging anywhere, but my main focus now was trying not to wake either of them up.

I tiptoed while concentrating on keeping my balance, my legs shaking like no tomorrow at the thought of what lay ahead.

_It's not going to break,_  I tried to comfort myself. _Maybe things will be different this time, too. The Tricos aren't going to wake up and attack._

I reached the point where I was able to see the original Trico's masked head, its ears flicking in its sleep.

The branch teetered, creaking slightly.

I could see the other Trico now, the  _brown_  Trico. It lay next to the original, curled up into a ball that would have made me go  _awww_  if not for its dangerous nature.

But what caught my eye wasn't the fact that two Tricos were fast asleep together, just waiting for the end of the fallen branch to break off and wake them up.

What caught my eye instead was a bundle of torn clothing next to the brown Trico that looked exactly like what I wore now, only the bruised and battered, black and white, orange clothing wasn't as recognizable in its current, horrible and ripped up state.

The brown Trico was protecting something?

I squinted, rubbing my eyes and hardly believing what I was seeing, my heart dropping all the way down to my feet.

It was the boy's robe...

Or, like the land itself...what little was left of it.


	18. Chapter 18

No, no, no! It couldn't be...it  _wasn't_  the boy! But the more I stared at the pile of torn clothing, the more it appeared to be true.

The boy was... _gone._

That's why the Chosen Ones weren't able to find him with their Energy, wasn't it? He was just... _gone._  One of the two beasts had something to do with it. I didn't know which one, but it didn't really matter. They were both dangerous on an equal level, both controlled by the Master to do its evil bidding.

But it only hit me just now  _how_  dangerous they really were, what with the horrible sight laying before me. They weren't supposed to actually eat kids, and yet there was the shocking proof sprawled out in front of the brown Trico like it was protecting what remained of its catch. I had to wonder if it was going to get in trouble with the Master. After disobeying so many orders to take me to the tower, now it had eaten a child that it was supposed to take as well—instead deciding to have a snack.

My breathing began to quicken, panic setting in. I was still standing on the middle of the branch. If I moved ahead any further, it would snap, break, and then wake the sleeping Tricos. Since I had to deal with  _two_  now and not just one like it was originally supposed to happen, my chances of making it past them were extremely low. I couldn't risk waking either of them up!

Maybe I could turn around and go back the other way? Perhaps I could just stand here and not do anything until my Trico arrived? But then there really  _would_  be a problem; he'd be forced to fight not just one, but two of his kind. He'd barely managed to survive a one on one fight! I couldn't do that to him...

What was I going to do? One of the Tricos was eventually going to wake up, anyway. I guessed that the only thing I could do was try to sneak past them...but how? I didn't want to go all the way back around to where I'd started.

I decided to just take my chances. Real life had already proven some aspects to be different than what had happened in the game, and maybe if I was light enough on my feet, the branch wouldn't break. Sighing, I began to tiptoe forward again, making sure my steps were light as a feather. The branch remained still much to my relief; maybe the plot would happen in my favor, after all? Only a few more steps and I would be able to climb the vines up the tree. I could just make my way across the original path of the game, the only difference being that there wouldn't be a giant man-eating monster or two after me.

Almost there...

I was just close enough where I could reach an arm out to the leaves and could start making my way up—

_Snap._

I wasn't one for cursing, but this time was an exception to voice my misfortune.

Just as soon as I'd muttered the single S word, the Tricos' ears flicked forward at nearly the same pace.

I barely had enough time before they would notice their prey was nearby. Without even thinking I began to reach one hand forward after the other, gripping the green vines so clumsily I was sure I was going to fall backwards into yet another bottomless, gray pit. The original evil Trico was already standing on all fours, bouncing with its talons. For some reason, the brown Trico didn't seem as awake yet, yawning and stretching before taking complete notice of me. Its dark eyes flared pink, and I could almost feel the anger and frustration coursing through its body now that it was locked onto its familiar prey it could never seem to catch. This time however, it was determined to take me to the Master.

I never had a chance to even grab the rope! The force of the original Trico was much too strong, slamming entirely into my little body through the tree. I screamed as I fell, landing hard on my already-hurt side from when my Trico had knocked me into the air with his talons. Everything blurred together so much I could hardly see, blindly getting to my feet in such a rush that everything began to spin behind the blurriness. Heart pounding harder than it ever had in my entire life, I raced in the opposite direction away from the two monsters (or what I  _assumed_  was the opposite direction)

Another fall later and I was stuck in between what appeared to be a crack in the ground big enough for a small child like me. I didn't bother getting up, still in too much of a shock from my first fall that had nearly rendered me blind. The blurry shapes of the Tricos meshed together as they growled and swatted, frustrated as they were unable to reach me from my hiding spot.

The tattoos on the backs of my hands, my palms, and arms all lit up bright as the sun, causing the brown Trico to squeal and shy away in shock before it could be blinded just as I had almost been.

A distant sound echoed from behind the mountain walls, and the two Tricos instantly stopped their game of cat and mouse. The brown Trico attempted to swat at me again, but snorted and shook its head, backing away from its helpless prey. The original Trico roared as the hypnotizing spinning wheels sprouted from its two horns, following onto the brown Trico soon after. The two simply stood in place as if processing orders, and I took a wild guess as to  _who_  might be giving them orders: the Master. It was calling them away! I didn't have to worry about getting stuck in the elevator cage or rolling around until I broke all my bones! I must have been trapped in the crack longer than I thought...

The two Tricos roared at once, shattering my eardrums before they leapt out of sight. I didn't need to get out of the crack to see where they were going; I could remember the strange, stone door that slid shut once they were inside. The Master was calling them to the tower, no doubt. I couldn't help but wonder _why,_  since they apparently had no children to bring. I came to the conclusion that even if the Tricos didn't have any kids to bring as sacrifices, they still had no choice but to listen to the Master and go to the tower anyway.

Now that I was all alone, I thought about getting out of my hiding spot. Would it be safe? Were the other Tricos going to come back? I decided to take my chances; I couldn't stay down here all day. I edged through the small space, grunting as my knees burned from the time when they'd gotten knocked onto the platform after being lifted by the minor tidal wave Trico had created. My legs weren't much better, burning just as much as my knees and cramping with every small step I took. Stopping to lift my robe the tiniest bit to inspect my wounds, I shied away at the sight of dark, purple bruises lining my thighs. After so much climbing, falling and banging, what did I expect? I was grateful that I'd only achieved bruises and nothing else more severe, like possibly losing my life itself.

Quickly lowering my robe to avoid further eye contact with the nasty bruise, I continued making my way through the crack and back towards the tree. With no evil Trico trying to capture me this time, I could climb with relative ease upwards until I could bring myself over the mountain ledge. Just moments ago, the two Tricos had been laying together in this exact spot. Now since they were gone, the only thing remaining was the torn up bundle of clothes resting just in front of me. I bent down to my sensitive knees, not even caring about the sharp pain that stabbed my poor spine.

Reaching my hands out, I took hold of the torn robe gently as possible, caressing the damaged pieces. After everything that Trico and I had gone through together, after I'd had the vision that told me the boy was still here in the game and I had to look for him, I'd finally found him...yet he was  _gone._ The only time I'd ever cried since arriving in this game had been my first night alone with only Trico and the stars to keep me company, the stress of my first day and the confusion of it all finally getting to me. I hadn't cried since, but now seemed like the perfect time to let emotions run loose. I didn't care anymore; I'd failed. I'd failed to try and save the one character besides my Trico who really mattered, who was needed more than anything else in the game since he was the  _main_  character, after all.

He was gone and it was all my fault.

I held fast to the ripped clothing, cradling it close to my chest as choked sobs began to freely release fresh tears.

I don't know how long I cried for, but time didn't matter as I fell into a deep, exhausted and undeserved sleep.

xxxx

A sound similar to the Master's metallic call reverberated through the mountain and into the ground, its vibrations shaking me awake. I blinked several times to get rid of my grogginess, confusion sweeping across my mind. How long had I been asleep? I didn't know, but judging from the big hole in the mountain's rocky side, it was still light out. Weird...I only just noticed that the hole was already bigger than it was supposed to be. Was Trico here  _already?_  No—the sound roared again and my head perked up from looking down at the boy's clothes still wrapped tightly around my hands. Even in my deep sleep, I hadn't dared let go, as if he would disappear from me yet again.

The shadow of a shape flickered from outside, signaling that something—or  _someone_ —was there, and I knew exactly who it was.

"Trico!" I exclaimed, happiness overriding my sorrow. I didn't move from my spot, as if doing such a thing would make it harder for my friend to find me. The ground rumbled for its final time and the mountain suddenly began to tear apart even more as the large beast peeked his head out into the open. Grumbling with joy when his eyes met mine, he leaped down onto the dirt so he could begin moving in my direction. I remained sitting as he crept ever closer, all of my fear from meeting the other two Tricos dissipating into nothing.

"I knew you'd find me," I laughed as he lowered his head to nudge my cheek with his giant nose. "Where have you been?" It still confused me that the mountain hole had already been opened...maybe one of the other Tricos had found the smaller hole and had dug their way through.

He snorted in response, shaking his head like he refused to tell me anything. Lowering his head even further, he sniffed at the ground where the Tricos had attacked, rumbling slightly in concern and then looking up at me with his dark eyes.

"I'm okay," I told him gently, sending him a soft smile. He seemed to relax at the gesture, deciding to sit until we figured out what to do next. It was strange not being trapped in the cage so Trico would have to help me get out by rolling to the lower level, but then again it wasn't  _that_  strange; it was actually something I was completely fine with, not wanting to risk earning any more bruises. The dog bird nudged me with his nose again, his warm breath tickling my arms and bringing my attention back to the ripped clothes in my hands.

I had to wonder again if Trico remembered the boy at all; he appeared to be mournful at the sight of the ripped robe, his ears lowering and body slightly quivering.

"I guess we found him, buddy," I whispered quietly, gripping the torn robe tighter. "But I wish we could have found him sooner."

Trico rumbled, releasing a low and sorrowful howl. I squeezed my eyes shut at the haunting sound, willing myself to forget all I had seen. But once the mind sees something, forgetting is next to impossible—and I was learning that the hard way.

It took a moment to realize that something was tugging at my robe—no—the  _boy's_  robe. Swiveling my head around, I was shocked to see Trico grabbing at the pieces with his mouth.

"Hey! What are you doing?" I wanted to shout. I wanted to scream at him to put the robe back, but he probably wouldn't have listened, anyway. To stop the robe from ripping worse than it already was, I let go and allowed Trico to take it. He grunted once, then to my utter shock and horror...

He swallowed the pieces of the robe!

I didn't know what to think at this point. Had Trico  _really_  just eaten the last remaining link to the boy? While the first ever physical proof I'd found was most likely a reason to believe he was gone, Trico didn't seem to think so. At least, his action of eating the robe seemed to indicate that he believed the boy was still alive somehow. So this interesting turn of events meant that Trico must indeed remember the boy...the only way I could know for sure was to ask him myself.

"Trico...is the boy still alive? Do you know who he is?"

Just like the first time I'd asked if he could remember his other human friend, Trico barely gave any indication that he'd understood my question. He simply shook his head, snorting again and standing up on all fours like he was eager to get a move on. Since we'd skipped the bit of me getting stuck in the cage and rolling down, I wondered if we should go down anyway so Trico could get something to eat. Of course, I would have to get his barrel for him by using the helmet of a guard to bring a headless one to life, thus making it get out of the way of the barrel it was blocking.

Wait a second...the helmet was still in the cage, and the cage was still hanging where it was supposed to be! I slapped myself harder than need be, Trico paying my silly action no mind. He just continued to stare at me as if staring would make me move, which sort of worked. Finally, I got up from my sitting position and stared back at Trico.

"Are you ready to go?" I asked, tilting my head to the side a bit like a curious puppy. He didn't seem that hungry...maybe I  _didn't_  have to wake the headless guard? We would only end up coming back to this spot, anyway.

By now I was expecting changes in the game. I'd actually met the Chosen Ones, for crying out loud! Some things were bound to be different. Shrugging my shoulders, I decided that no, Trico didn't need that extra barrel at all. Who knew? Maybe he'd found and eaten a few on his way back to me after being separated.

Once I was nice and comfy atop my friend's back, I grabbed hold of his neck feathers so I wouldn't fall as he readied himself to jump through the already-made big hole in the wall.

I took a quick glance back in the spot where I'd found the boy's robe. For some reason, hope had sparked in me again that he was alive somehow. Trico had eaten his robe for a reason, though I wasn't quite sure what that reason was. I could only assume that he knew something was up, and something was better than nothing.

_If you're still out there,_  I thought as Trico made the leap.  _Hang on._

xxxx

It was always nice to get out in what little sun peeked through the overcast sky. Emerging from the shadows after making a leap or two more, Trico and I were finally outside once again. Fearlessly hopping off of his body, I made a safe landing onto a patch of grass below. Besides the green hill ahead, everything else was stone as expected. I knew where to go next, but just wanted to get a breath of fresh air, roaming closer to the hill's edge. Thinking back to the start of the game, I would have  _never_  gone so close to the edge. Now, I didn't have as much worry about falling over. While it was still nerve-wracking that I wasn't as afraid as I used to be, it was actually kind of nice not being so nervous twenty-four seven.

Trico apparently agreed, stretching out his body like a cat and letting out a content groan. In the not so far-off distance, pillars and stone buildings could be seen in their usual places. The beast reared up, stretching his talons toward the foggy sky. I hadn't really taken notice before, but his wings seemed...different. Bigger. They were definitely growing! Or maybe not  _growing,_  but getting better. He'd always had wings; they had just been hurt after his tail had gotten struck by lightning in the flashback.

His horns were also noticeably different, two of which had  _definitely_  been broken in half before but were now  _not_  as broken. His left was longer than his right, but they were both longer and sharper nonetheless.

"Alright buddy," I said, putting my feather to good use and pointing to the left side of the hill. "Let's go."

Trico bobbed his head up and down as if in response, following me to another  _very_  narrow, grassy edge. Climbing up to his back when we came upon a stone ledge I couldn't reach, Trico gladly took care of the rest and hopped up once, twice, a third and  _fourth_  time—until he landed right next to a closed gate. Spotting the blue ledge I had to climb across, I made my descent down Trico's body once more and began to scale the mountain wall with both of my hands to keep my balance, no hanging option possible with the ledge being too slim to grab onto.

A gap came into view from the ledge onto a grassy cliff, and I (surprisingly) had no qualms whatsoever about making a 'tiny' jump in order to reach my destination. Directly above my head rested a climbable wooden ledge, one that didn't look very sturdy, but one I knew wouldn't break. Trico was still waiting on the other side next to the gate, ears perked and watching me intently as if he was ready to catch me if I did indeed fall, which was nice. Another wooden ledge above I had to grab, and Trico suddenly let out those mournful howls of his as I inched farther and farther away.

"Don't worry, I'll be back!" I shouted in his direction, lowering myself to the last wooden ledge. This one was fairly easy to walk normally across, stretching both of my arms from my sides to act as a balancing stick. Taking a quick glance down below, white birds fluttered this way and that, and I was ever surprised to find that my stomach had no issues with the dangerous height. Vines ready for assistance, I climbed downwards until I was steadily back on the grass underneath my feet. Grateful for the soothing sensation instead of the sharp stone I was apparently getting so used to, I traveled straight in between a grove of trees blowing in the wind, jumping quickly over a fallen pillar in the middle of the pathway.

Trico turned in his sitting position when he spotted me coming from behind the gate, lifting a foot to try and claw at it. Smiling softly, I moved over to the lever located on the left side, bringing it down with sore hands. Trico took his talon away, rumbling in excitement as he was finally able to go through and be with me.

Then I caught sight of the pathway that led into the new cage. Trico roared, causing me to jump nearly three feet in the air. Maybe I _wasn't_  as brave as I thought I was now...

The cat-dog-bird bent down, launching himself forward to run into the open area I had just unlocked for him. Turning my attention back to the stone pathway, I knew there was no way around it. I would have to lead Trico inside, and then he was going to eat me for the second time. I had no choice; it was  _mandatory_  that Trico swallow me whole again. In the process, I would possibly learn more about why and  _how_  I'd gotten sucked into a video game, the first time receiving a vision that the boy was still here and that the Master had a voice and could speak now.

We had to go inside.

"Trico," I called. The beast halted his joyful running, turning back around so he could see me again.

"This way," I said in the calmest tone I could muster. He must have been able to sense my nervousness, cowering the slightest bit as he made his way in my direction.

Once I was sure he was following me, I headed straight down the pathway and into the round cage room, stopping at the edge of the circled platform if only to gaze out at the horror that was about to take place. I knew that two guards were waiting in the shadows down below. The second I was in the center of the cage, they would burst to life, and I wouldn't have anywhere to run or hide. A single door also awaited my presence, making things easy for the guards to toss me directly into it. The only comfort I had was knowing that Trico would soon jump into the middle, and the downside was that he would give into the horrible ring that the mind control device was going to send out.

Unwilling to take my chances and jump right into the fray, I turned to the right and made good use of the three ledges attached to the wall's side. Bare feet hitting hard stone, my body immediately tensed and braced itself for the two guards that just as quickly sprang to life, reaching out both of their arms to desperately try and catch me. I was having a harder time seeing them as just guards, my mind wrapping around the fact that they had been transformed into Lost Ones. They were still dangerous all the same, forcing me to run until I was out of breath or until Trico decided to do something about my predicament.

There was nowhere to run, a small metal gate blocking the only means of escape, and railing that streamed around all sides that prevented me from tumbling over the edge.

"Trico!" I screamed when the beast was still nowhere to be found. In all my determination to evade the suits of armour, I couldn't see where he was; maybe on top of the platform, waiting for the right moment to leap down?

I knew my friend all too well.

The second his talons hit the stone floor, the familiar and horrible  ** _Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing_** pounded hard against the inside of my brain. The Lost Ones crumbled into green gas, the sound much too horrible even for them. I realized that the mind control might work on the Tricos...but not the former Chosen Ones.

The sound continued to pierce my ears, my head throbbing in absolute agony. Trico fared no better, shaking his own head back and forth,  _roaring_  at the blue circles that protruded from behind a smaller metal cage. His eyes flashed an assortment of different colors, pink overcoming the rest.

I knew this part had to happen, but Trico himself was still highly intimidating under the device's command; it didn't matter that I'd already gone through this once before!

"Trico, it's me!" I tried to shout, dodging his hops the best I could with what speed I had in all my fear. "You don't have to do this! Stop!"

But he had no plans to stop. The machine still continued its work, the blue circles never ending and Trico still bounding towards me with his huge and menacing shape that a tiny ant like me had no chance at all to avoid.

Trico hopped one last time, sending me sprawling to the side of the cage and nearly causing me to slam my head against the metal railing. Absolutely stuck with no way to escape, he had no trouble snatching me up into his mouth, leaving me no time to scream.

xxxx

_Night. Dark clouds fit to bring a storm. A small space that I soon realized was my apartment...I was back home? In my pajamas, no less. I was sitting on the couch, getting ready to play The Last Guardian. When I finally got the game started and was able to play, frustration quickly overtook my excitement as I tried to get Trico to listen to my commands, failing miserably. Already tired of the game, I stood up to turn off the console._

_Lightning struck, bringing forth the_ _silhouette of a face that flashed by so fast I was unable to make out any of its features. The only thing I knew for sure was that the face was evil, that it couldn't be trusted._

_My apartment merged into an outside village that I recognized as the boy's, w_ _ind howling sharply through trees...but I was still inside my apartment, looking out through a window at all that was happening. The face didn't allow me to look for long, reaching a strong, stone-like hand towards me._

**_"Your world is mine as you are now. I refuse to be contained any longer...let the dawning of a new, stronger Energy begin."_ **

_The scene changed and a single, blue butterfly hovered above a child's head inside of a hut. The boy? He was anything but sound asleep. He twisted and turned, images of an unknown creature flying through trees and mountains in his direction._

_The Trico I knew so well appeared, wings and horns fully grown, unhurt. He flapped towards an open window leading into the boy's room, immediately picking out the child among all the others. He stared directly into the boy's soul, forcing the child's eyes to open and turn the same color pink as his—the sign of a predetermined bond connecting the two._

_The face flashed again, dark and cruel as its voice._

**_"She will never find you. The new Energy must be tested...change."_ **

_The boy opened his mouth in his sleep, releasing the most unexpected and unfitting sound for a little boy_ —

_The roar of a Trico._

_An elderly woman snapped awake in an instant at the powerful sound, horrified at the sight of my Trico finishing his job of swallowing the boy for safekeeping and young children equally horrified, racing into her protective grasp._

_The face flashed yet again, changing the scene so it seemed I was flying alongside my Trico. The boy continued to twist and turn even while trapped inside of the creature's stomach, so much so he was u_ _nable to hold the shifting child inside any longer. He roared desperately, determined to open up a hole in the mountainside big enough for him to crawl through and_ _land in the familiar area where I would have had to roll around in the cage._

_He heaved, releasing the boy onto the dirt-covered ground in a pile of green goo._

_The child wailed an unearthly cry as his tiny body shifted and changed. He shuddered as bones broke apart and merged together, snapping into different places not meant for a human anatomy. Feathers sprouted, replacing his tender skin. Large wings shot forth from both sides of his body as it grew bigger and bigger to match the two new appendages._

_My Trico rumbled and shook his head, the deed done with the boy's torn robe laying beside his new, large and feathery body._

_I didn't need to see anything more; Trico would try and go back to the tower to sacrifice his one remaining child that the Master had given to him, that he hadn't changed. The beast would release me from his stomach in a pile of green goo the same as the boy's, fresh and black tattoos covering every inch of my body—the marks of the Master. The signs that I belonged to no one else but him._

_Not even the terrifying realization that the Master had claimed my world for his own personal, selfish and evil reasons was as startling as my newest discovery._

_There was a reason Trico had swallowed the pieces of the boy's robe. He had been trying to show me something, and it was finally clear. The boy hadn't been eaten at all, but had been forced to transform into something he wasn't as two worlds were forced to mesh together._

_The boy had been transformed..._

_Transformed into the brown Trico._


	19. Chapter 19

_This was the valley known as The Nest...and if the tales were to be believed, the only way in or out was from the air..._

I coughed, sputtering to life. Almost immediately, my robe was soaked with water, causing my body to feel heavier than it already was. Droplets fell down my face as I pushed myself up from the small puddle, a happy rumble letting loose soon after. Blinking rapidly to rid myself of the dizziness that nearly overwhelmed me, I turned my head around slowly so as not to aggravate the unwanted feeling any further. A large, gray blur cleared, and I smiled when Trico came into view. He towered over my sitting form, ears perked forward and dark eyes bright.

For a moment, all I could do was sit and stare at the massive creature before me, still in awe at just how much more  _bigger_  he was, as if two Tricos hadn't been enough to prove the strength of their size. Struggling to my feet, he rumbled again and knowing what was coming next, I quickly side-stepped the beast as he began to jump up and down with joy once I was on all 'twos.'

Glancing at my surroundings, I found that we were back outside of the cage in the grassy, tree-filled area. Trico had snapped out of the control of the device, spitting me back out of his mouth while I was unconscious. He'd brought me back here, gently dropping me in the puddle to try and wake me up. It had worked, and for that, I was grateful. Though I hadn't been aware of his actions fueled by worry that I wouldn't wake up, I remembered all of it from the walkthroughs, looking directly up at the dog bird with a smile that stretched from ear to ear.

"Thank you, buddy," I said gratefully. He bent downwards for a snuggle, to which I happily obliged. In the time I'd been trapped inside of his stomach, though I hadn't been the slightest bit aware, I'd missed the soft feel of his feathers.

The only thing I remembered while stuck inside had been the absolutely unexpected, terrifying vision I had received. I'd expected  _something_  to happen of course, but nothing like  _that._  Images of the dream fluttered frantically through my mind in a futile attempt to piece it all together.

_**"Your world is mine,"**_  the dark voice of the Master pierced my brain. What did _that_  mean? Was it why I had been sucked into the game, because the Master had somehow grown sentient and decided to take over the real world? Horror punched my chest—it was why the game looked so _real_  now, wasn't it?

The voices of the Chosen Ones gently, soothingly replaced the voice of the Master as I recalled our meeting.

_'There are many different worlds, many different universes.'_

_'Anything can happen at any time.'_

_'But not everything can be explained.'_

My new vision had seemed to bring with it an explanation. Even before all of this had happened, The Last Guardian must have been real. It was real in its own separate universe, and the Master somehow merged it together with the real world. It made me wonder just how many other universes were out there, as the Chosen Ones had said. For every animated film or show, or even 'real' movies and shows, did all of them have their own universe? I like to think of myself as a very open-minded person. Things like outer space and UFOs have always fascinated me—we just  _couldn't_  be the only ones! Why would it be different for entire  _universes?_

Trico snorted, snapping me out of my thoughts. He lifted his head from my gentle touches, turning it in the opposite direction where the hallway led back into the cage. We were going to have to go inside again, but I could relax; the mind control was off. It wouldn't affect Trico a second time, and I let out a quiet sigh of relief at the thought.

My temporary relaxation was cut short as we began to make our way back to the cage.

_**"Let the dawning of a new, stronger Energy begin,"**_  the Master's voice echoed.

New Energy...was it like Bond Energy, or the  _same_  as Bond Energy? Whatever it was, the Master wanted it all for himself to replace the Chosen Ones' Bond Energy that was growing weaker by the day as they had explained.  _'Trying to keep alive what is already diminishing.'_

It was how they'd understood that I wasn't from here; my Energy was different because I was from the Real World. It was _stronger_  because I was from the Real World. The Last Guardian wasn't _real,_  it was fake and thus not as strong. But Real World Energy was stronger, and the Master intended to take it all for himself as a replacement to try and create a new body.

Running a hand wearily down my face, I wasn't sure how to take in all of this new information, especially the fact that I now knew where, or  _what_  the boy was.

He was trapped in the body of a Trico.

**_"The new Energy must be tested...change."_ **

The Master must have needed to test the new, Real World Energy to see what it could do and how strong it was, so he'd decided to change the shape of the boy. He must have thought that I would have no idea where to look, and that I certainly wouldn't have expected to even think the boy would be stuck in a Trico's body. But thanks to my dream, I knew the truth now; the Master must not be very aware of the strong connection I had with my Trico, and how we could communicate through images. It was another answer to the strange plot of the original game—the boy's connection to Trico was so strong that whenever the beast literally swallowed him, their connection increased tenfold. As for why the Master wanted to hide the boy from me, I had no clue. Maybe he was the link I needed to get home, and the Master wanted to keep me here for some scary reason.

I looked down at my black tattoos, wanting to shy away from them...but I couldn't. The Master had marked me as his own, and as much as the thought absolutely horrified and disgusted me, I couldn't escape it. They were stuck to my body—a part of me now. All I could do was hope they would be gone when (if) I returned home. I was probably his first 'child' from the Real World that he had kidnapped, and I realized that he must have tested the Real World Energy on me as well, which was why I'd changed back into my younger self upon entering the game. Was there even a home to go back to, or was my world gone already, transformed into The Last Guardian?

Another snort from Trico broke me out of my deep thinking before I could panic. I'd become so wrapped up in my thoughts that I hadn't noticed where we were going, and it turned out that we were finally back in the cage. Trico stood at the edge of the platform, ears laid back flat against his head as he stared down. He was still nervous about the mind control, but I comforted him the best I could.

"It's okay," I said, stroking the feathers on his front leg and grabbing a handful so I could climb up. "It's not going to turn on again, I promise."

Ears flicking forward, he snorted once more and bent, wings extending on either side so he could leap down. Pointing a finger outward, I instructed him to jump onto his hind legs so I could step onto the next stone platform, blue markings on the ground leading me in the right direction. A very tall ladder awaited to the right, which I used gladly to get down and pull the lever so Trico could go through the gate. He had no choice but to lower his body in order to fit and crawl through the mining area.

The mining area.

I cringed, knowing just what was waiting for us. Instead of going through the small tunnel into the hole to open the door on the other side, I decided to see if I could get Trico to bang down the door _now._  He'd managed to do so when the boy had gotten captured in the collapsing bridge, and he had broken through large globs of stone to get to him after nearly being pummeled by a landslide—he  _should_  be able to break the door down since this was real life and he could do whatever he wanted instead of listening to his programming.

Pointing to the red and rusty gate on the left, I closed my eyes and visualized the giant beast slamming into it. Trico huffed, as if unsure of himself.

_You can do it,_  I encouraged.  _You've done it before, haven't you?_

Maybe not banging the door down, but he'd done this level before, right?

I was still unsure how the whole universe thing worked—if the game just played over and over again in a separate world, or if it was a world with its own rules and anything could happen. I decided on the first, that Trico had done all of this before. He seemed familiar with his surroundings like I was, and it explained how the Master had kidnapped the boy and changed him into a Trico. He'd waited for the perfect moment while contained when the boy was most vulnerable in his sleeping state before Trico had swallowed him. He'd said that he refused to be contained any longer, and so he'd somehow managed to use Real World Energy to break free and change the boy, kidnapping me at the same time.

Sighing in frustration, I shook my head to ward off going any further into it. We had to concentrate on getting past the tunnel!

In all my thinking, I'd forgotten to stay focused on visualizing Trico banging the door down. I closed my eyes again and concentrated, picturing the action until I nearly gave myself a headache.

_Bang, bang, bang._

Eyes shooting open, I gaped in shock at the sight before me. Trico had done it! He'd actually  _knocked the door down!_  I didn't have to go through the other side, after all! There were definitely some perks to the game being real, as I'd known already. But I was still getting used to giving Trico instructions by using my mind, and I was...well,  _mind blown_  that it actually worked and we were able to communicate like this. I was sure that if the boy was in my place, he would be able to do the same in real life, too; the Master had severely underestimated our original Bond Energy.

The ruined door lay pounded to the ground. I shuddered, thankful that I was on Trico's good side. Taking a deep breath, I waved a hand and braced myself as Trico and I started our 'adventure' into the mining tunnel. It was so weird and smelled odd, causing me to scrunch up my nose in disgust. Trico was massive, but he was just little enough to fit inside. Wood cracked and fell as he crawled forward from behind me, his head the only visible part of his body when I turned around to check and make sure he was okay.

"Good boy," I praised, continuing onwards toward a bright, shining light in the far off distance. A small gate prevented Trico from going any further, but luckily a lever sat to the left. I gripped with both hands and pulled so the gate could open and allow Trico to come in, inwardly cringing at what was about to happen. I stopped for a moment in mid-grasp, anxiously peering above at the tunnel ceiling.

It was going to be a lot more dangerous than in the game. Who knew what was going to happen? I could be crushed, or Trico could get hurt even worse than he already was. He was making good progress with his horns and wings; we didn't need a setback like this! But I reminded myself that I wasn't alone. Trico was here with me, and I trusted that the Chosen Ones were still watching over us. With that comforting thought in mind, I reluctantly finished pulling the lever forward.

"I'm sorry, buddy," I murmured in a whisper. The lever's chain yanked backwards when I let go, slamming into its original spot. I took a few steps towards Trico, and the tunnel walls suddenly began to crack, crumbling and sending rubble down on top of us!

Then darkness was the only thing I could see.

xxxx

I don't know how much time had passed when I finally woke up, but time didn't matter. Groaning, I lifted my head that felt heavier than it should. Shaking myself out of my daze, I glanced up to find that a wooden beam had managed to stop any debris from falling on top of me. My legs had just avoided being crushed, nearly trapped inside of a little cave created by the collapse.

There was just enough room so I could squeeze out, crawling quickly as possible out of the hole and into the open. Well, it wasn't exactly  _open._  Reaching my arms to feel for something,  _anything,_  my hands landed on...fluff? Loud, yet soft breathing could be heard almost like a whisper. Squinting my eyes, I could just barely make out the shape of...Trico's head?

His eyes were closed, but at least his breathing let me know that he was still alive. I wanted to stop and pet the fallen beast to comfort him that it would be okay, that we would make it out alive—but we didn't have any time. We had to get out of here!

A tight space forced me to place both hands on Trico's side, inching my way forward until I made it to a patch of sunlight. Using his large body to my advantage, I gripped feathers one hand after the other. Now the only place left to go was on top of the rubble to follow the blue markings—and wake up the Lost Ones that were hiding at the end of the hallway. I wasn't looking forward to bringing them to life at all, but I had no other choice. It was the only way to get Trico to wake up, and I wouldn't have taken another step further if I hadn't known he would break free and rush to my rescue.

One, two more steps...a lone spear caught the corner of my eye that rested on the ground to the right. Just picking up the weapon gave me comfort that I had something to defend myself with.

One more step and two guards raced towards me from out of nowhere behind the stone walls, and they were a lot faster than I'd expected! In all my shock I nearly dropped the spear but held fast, gripping even tighter when two  _extra_  guards made themselves known and raced beside the other two. My mind instructing me to run, I took heed and bolted down the opposite end of the hallway, hesitant to try and actually use the spear. The guards had once been the Chosen Ones after all, and trying to kill one of them again just wouldn't be right.

What was I thinking? I couldn't use it on them! Spear clattering helplessly to the ground, I closed my eyes and braced myself to be taken. I didn't need the spear, anyway. Trico was going to hear my struggle and shoot awake!

The guards never even had time to wrap their arms around my waist. Trico's previously quiet breathing became louder and quicker by the second, a sure sign that he was agitated by the fact I was about to be dragged into a door. Fierce pink eyes flashed, and a roar shook what little remained of the already-broken mining tunnel. Without warning, a spear flew past as I raced to join the fight. Well...Trico was doing most of the fighting. I was tempted to try and pick up another spear, but my heart wouldn't allow me to do so. Even if my own life was in danger, I just couldn't take another's—even if they were already gone, supposedly. It would be like killing them  _twice._

Trico roared and reared up, pawing sharply at the soldiers until they were nothing but gas vanishing into thin air. Now that his wings were getting better, they fluttered in rage as the giant took menacing steps toward the remaining two guards. One lay in a daze on the floor, and I wondered if I should at least try and help by pulling off its head. I decided against it, that it would be too risky for me to even be near the fallen enemy; I couldn't take another blow to the side from Trico's talons! Resisting the urge to help, all I could do was stand uselessly out of harm's way while Trico took care of the rest.

When all was said and done, and bodies lay scattered this way and that, I began to hum Trico's theme to help the beast calm himself. The slow and mysterious tune reached his ears and his body steadily relaxed, his muscles loosening. No  _wonder_  he got so upset after fighting the guards—they had once been children after all, and Trico acted as any normal human being would after physically hurting someone or worse. Moving around in a circle to inspect his feathers in case the guards had managed to get a spear stuck inside, I was pleasantly surprised to find that there weren't any at all. Trico didn't seem to be in any pain—in fact, it was the complete opposite. He wanted to get a move on, running back towards the end of the hallway where the wide open sky awaited us.

"Okay, okay, hold on," I murmured, unable to stop a small laugh from escaping. He waited, head turned in my direction as I made my way back up his body to sit and hang on tightly to as many feathers as I could grab. Dark eyes blinking like he was waiting for me to give him an okay, I nodded, pleased that he had actually given me a warning. With that, his  _big_  wings extended and he took off in a leap, landing precisely on the first stone pillar and then the second.

"Get ready," I informed, holding on tighter to his feathers. We were going to land on the wooden ramp, and it was going to break! Just as expected, wood cracked and broke off from the end. Trico turned, watching curiously but then realizing the sudden peril we had found ourselves in.

"Go, go!" I screamed. Trico waited not a second longer, bounding straight ahead to the other end of the falling ramp. Only when all was steady did he stop, turning curiously again to see that we had made it safely across. Positive we were safe, he sat to rest a moment before I put the feather in my hair to good use and pointed a finger towards the looming white building ahead of us. Trico's steps became relaxed as we moved ever closer to our destination, but even though we were close...we weren't there yet.

I had to get rid of the two glass eyes that blocked Trico from going any further, and the ramp cut off in such a way that prevented me from going anywhere near them.

Another problem also prevented me from going any further.

There was absolutely  _no way_  I could make it across the stone platforms thousands of feet above the ground. It was too windy and slippery, and any mistake at all would send me spiraling down to who knew where. Though I wasn't as afraid of heights as I had been when the game first started, it would be foolish to entertain my newfound bravery. But how was I going to get rid of the eyes without jumping across the platforms? Trico was too frozen in his fear to even move an inch, and I couldn't reach the other side without his help.

Carefully inspecting my problem, I spotted a solution in the form of mini ledges that stuck out from the bottom of the ramp. They were low enough so I could climb, and unlike the boy, I actually had a choice in the matter; I wasn't being forced to go all the way around the building as the game would have commanded. I was free from any programming, only listening to free will as I jumped down to the bottom ramp, reaching up so I could grab the right ledge and pull my body up until I was standing on two feet and able to reach the top ramp.

_Well, that wasn't too hard,_  I thought, ultimately pleased that I had found such an easy way around my issue of jumping across the high, far-apart platforms. It turned out you only needed a little attention to detail!

But now that one problem was fixed, another came soon after. The right eye was easy enough to move with the help of the wheels underneath, but moving the eye itself had caught some unwanted attention as it fell to its doom over the ramp's edge.

Green immediately filled my vision, hundreds of patterns akin to my tattoos appearing in a massive cluster I could barely see through. Struggle as I might I couldn't move one bit, my body suddenly heavy and limp. I opened my mouth to scream for Trico, but nothing came out. I couldn't do  _anything,_  and a hoard of soldiers were stomping their way in my direction with glass eye shields of their own!

I couldn't even...think...straight...

Until a Lost One grabbed me and flung my body over its shoulders.

The loudest roar I'd heard from Trico thus far erupted, and the green in my vision snapped away in less than a second as he pounded the army of armour down with his wonderfully strong talons. He managed to free me from the guard's grasp—

But with a cost. I lost my balance, tumbling carefree over the edge of the ramp, and there was absolutely nothing I could grab onto, not even Trico's tail! I fell in a backwards position, my fear of heights returning at full force. How could I have  _ever_  gotten used to this?!

My fall halted. Trico! In all my panic, I'd actually forgotten that he would come to my rescue! Breathless, I hang limp from my robe in his mouth. One more smack to the remaining guards and the ramp shattered apart, wood falling and almost bringing Trico down with it! The giant regained his balance, leaping in the other direction to begin outrunning the destruction. I was tossed through the air onto his back as if he knew it would be safer, shaking my head to get hold of whatever senses I could.

But the only sense I had was that we were  _running, running, running,_  his wings  _stretching and stretching and stretching._

And then...

We were  _flying!_

Not for long.

_Smack—_ right into a stone pillar across from us. The fragile building crumbled against his weight, sending debris tumbling everywhere. Trico did the best he could to put his talons to good use, but it _just wasn't working—_

We fell along with the rubble to the story below. Getting hold of my bearings, gut instinct and knowledge of the game told me to climb up his back and onto a ledge above his head that I could drop down onto the wooden ramp from. The lever was where I'd expected it to be, but it was useless when the gate opened for Trico to try and go through—only to tumble another story down!

He was further below me now—much further. The ledge waited across from me to jump and grab it, but I hesitated. There was another I would have to grab onto, and that one was going to break. Shaking myself into action for Trico's sake I jumped, and fate ran its course.

The ledge snapped.

I fell  _down, down, down,_  almost expecting the Chosen Ones to save me like they had at the drawbridge. I wasn't going to make it! But by some miracle, my expectant and outstretched hand grabbed hold of his tail. With no time to spare I climbed  _up, up and up_  his back, over his head and onto the second wooden ramp. Snapping could be heard directly from behind me and I practically zoomed forward to the last lever that would open the gate. The building crumbled again but Trico held on, ignoring the stone tumbling on top of him in his desperation to get through.

I was left by myself on the broken ramp with nowhere to go but to put my trust in Trico and just  _jump._  He rumbled in worry, stretching out a front leg to try and get to me.

No hesitation. My eyes stayed open.

I leaped, and I found myself swinging in my friend's grasp.

_Rip._  The sound of my robe tearing was alarming, but I had nothing to fear. He had no problem catching me again, setting me onto solid ground. We stood together in mild shock at what had just occurred, staring out at the open sky with triumph and longing.

_Trico had flown. Not far, but far enough to be certain. Perhaps when his wings were fully healed..._

_We might be able to fly further..._

Maybe even further than the original game had allowed.


	20. Chapter 20

After all the excitement from the falling wooden ramps and Trico (almost) flying, the excitement still wasn't done. I was currently trying to get my giant cat bird to jump down into a cavern that I couldn't jump into myself since the ledge we were sitting on was much higher than my fragile body could handle.

"Come on, Trico," I encouraged, patting my sensitive knees to try and get him to come closer. He wouldn't budge, continuing to sit casually atop his perch. Groaning in frustration, I gazed down at the pit we would have to jump into. Guards were waiting down there, and both Trico and I knew it.

Funny...I was finally getting used to all the jumping and climbing, but neither of us were getting used to the Lost Ones; I guess that's what happens when you find out who they once were before.

It took a bit (okay, a  _lot_ ) more coaxing on my end, but Trico finally inched closer to the platform's edge. Sighing in relief, I made my way up his feathers as he prepared to make the leap into the cavern. Soldiers came at us from all sides with a vengeance, making me glad I was on top of my friend's back even though I knew what was coming next. He flailed, hopping up and down on the tip of his talons, growling so loudly my eardrums throbbed. The soldiers still came, lifting sharp and pointy weapons and aiming directly at Trico. He screeched, swiping two at a time.

I probably should have jumped off his back while I still had the chance. It was crazy to stay hanging on while he was in a state of absolute fury, but I was prepared. I hung on with both hands and refused to let go, the world spinning rapidly around me. An arrow or two shot right by my head and I flinched.

"Stop it!" I screamed at the guards, though it would be no use. They wouldn't listen, continuing to charge Trico and throwing their arrows. One guard spotted me and brightened at the sight of a helpless child, running aimlessly in my direction, but I was too high up for it to reach. Being so high, I could easily see that Trico's wings outstretched much, much further than they had before. They were definitely getting better, and the thought of how far we had—almost—flown made my stomach drop not in fear of heights, but excitement at the idea of actually flying.

Well, that was new. I was supposed to  _hate_  heights. I hated airplanes and refused to go on them whenever I could. I was always told that something was much more likely to happen in a car, but that never really comforted me, of course. Now I was actually  _excited_  to possibly fly?

Trico became still and the world stopped spinning, but my mind was still going at high speed. The beast was agitated after taking down the guards, but not so much where he would start thrashing enough to throw me off. He remained still and I leaned my head down to rest it on his neck, his feathers intertwining with my fingers. I hummed his favorite tune anyway to make sure he was completely calm, smiling as a content rumble let loose.

My smile faded when I realized where we had to go next. A large, red and blue glass eye awaited us outside. It wasn't the eye I was worried about—another certain giant, feathered cat bird was going to show up, and maybe along with the boy. I sighed at the thought of the main character, wondering what he must be thinking if he had any semblance of his own mind left. Was there a way I could change him back? I knew Real World Energy had something to do with it, but maybe there was also a bit of Bond Energy mixed in? I had no idea how any of it worked! What if we knocked his mask off? Would that help in any way? I had no idea, but trying something was better than trying nothing. Taking off his mask seemed to make the most 'logical' sense, if any logic was even involved at all—I highly doubted it.

Moving the eye was easy enough, but it was still stuck on the drawbridge that connected to the other side. I had to go down a small flight of stairs where a single lever was located at the bottom edge, pulling it down to make the bridge drop and send the eye down along with it.

"Goodbye," I said with a small grin, waving. The drawbridge lifted back up and connected to the other side again. Trico relaxed from his fearful stance...but his eyes were still pink—and for good reason. Did I dare go any closer?

An ear-piercing screech sounded from directly above us. I turned my head to see a head larger than mine, and two very large ears. I'd been expecting it in the back of my mind, preparing for the possibility, but the air was almost knocked out of me when a  _second_  head and pair of ears appeared above.

The original evil Trico and the boy!

Now that I knew who the brown Trico really was, it was different seeing him in person with the knowledge I now possessed. The other Trico didn't matter—it was all about the boy. They were both going to attack, and he was going to hurt my Trico under the Master's command! The original Trico screeched again, jumping with ease onto a vine-covered pillar in front of my Trico. The Trico Boy screeched along with it, but stayed where he was on the top platform. Together they roared, forcing me to cover my head with my hands at the sheer volume. The original Trico leaped next to mine but ignored him, turning in my direction. I'd been expecting this and mentally preparing for it, but it was just so much  _different_  in real life than simply being a spectator while playing or watching the game!

The Trico crept ever closer, jaw moving up and down in a terrifying growl. It was close enough now that I could feel its hot breath scorching my skin, and if it had gotten any closer I was done for! But my Trico wouldn't allow it. The Trico wailed in pain as its tail was grabbed and yanked backwards, turning around just as quick to swipe at my Trico with its sharp and deadly talons. Without hesitation it chomped on Trico's neck but being a creature without any teeth, all it could do was hold on and shake poor Trico back and forth, pushing his lower body off the bridge's edge.

The Trico Boy took his chance and leapt down onto the pillar next, then onto what little space was left of the bridge. Fight or flight instinct took hold, instantly telling me to run and  _get the heck out of there!_  Running down the steps again didn't help, nearly falling flat on my face more than once. The Trico Boy was making his way towards me, but I couldn't allow him to get any closer. Ignoring my fear the best I could, I pulled the lever, sending all three gigantic beasts to the next bridge. The other side that the drawbridge connected to was completely gone now, leaving me no choice but to sit on my bottom and try to scoot down the tilting half of the bridge that still remained.

I didn't even have time to think that it was just too far down for me to fall onto my Trico's body that was currently taking a bad beating, for the Trico Boy had other plans. His wings spread and he breached. Eyes widening as it registered what he was doing, I took a chance and jumped at the same time his back legs left the ground, grabbing sharply onto his neck.

"Thanks!" I shouted. He didn't understand me at all, flailing and thrashing so hard I was sure I was going to be thrown off and slammed into a stone wall. But after all the experience I had gained with my own Trico, it was second nature as I held on tight and refused to let go until a split second when the Trico Boy was 'calm.' Taking the opportunity I dropped off his body to my Trico's, stumbling over his neck as the original Trico shook it violently. Unlike in the game where you had to climb over the Trico's armour, I found I was right when I suspected all I had to do was run  _underneath,_  avoiding its talons and making sure I didn't get stepped on.

The Trico Boy snorted in anger and frustration that I'd gotten away from him yet again. He was stuck on the other side with no way over the two battling Tricos, watching me run to an open gate where another lever rested. The original Trico's tail was heavier than my Trico's since it still had its full tip intact. I grunted, using all the strength I could possibly muster. Trico Boy spread his wings and my eyes widened in horror when he suddenly bent down and leaped right over the original Trico, landing expertly atop one of the two stone pillars attached to the bridge. His raging pink eyes were all I needed to tell me I couldn't waste another second, positioning the original Trico's tail underneath the gate. Once I was sure it was directly underneath, Trico Boy jumped down from the pillar and I brought down the lever onto the original's tail.

But I couldn't let go of the lever, or else it would open again and Trico Boy would easily get me! Original Trico roared, letting go of my Trico's neck. She joined Trico Boy by his side, determined to get to me but unable to do so as I continued holding down the lever with her tail still stuck underneath the gate. She howled in distress, swiping with her talons and Trico Boy following suit, slamming his masked head into the barrier.

Being so focused on trying to get to me, they never noticed my Trico slowly standing, albeit unsteadily, from the middle of the bridge where he had been pinned. I watched and instead of trying to take down Trico Boy, what I witnessed next surprised me. He took hold of the part of Original Trico's tail in his mouth that wasn't stuck, sharply yanking it backwards so the tail was pulled painfully out from the trap. Roaring, she turned fast and struck my Trico on his nose with her talons. Why hadn't he attacked the boy?! He really  _did_  remember who the brown Trico was, didn't he? He refused to hurt him! He latched hard onto the female's feathers with his own talons before she could even react, sending them both spiraling down to the third and last bridge below.

Now it was just me and Trico Boy. We eyed each other fiercely, and I attempted to communicate with him like I could communicate with Trico.

_Do you remember who you are?_  I asked in my mind, visualizing a picture of his human form. He just continued staring, rumbling and clawing the still-closed gate as I held onto the lever. I wouldn't be able to hold on much longer; my hands were getting so  _sore!_

Nothing got through to him. It seemed like an entire mountain blocked any Bond Energy from getting through and he just stared blankly, his only goal to grab me and take me to the Master while the original Trico pummeled my Trico.

I couldn't...hold on...much...longer...

The lever snapped back up, sending me sprawling to the stone floor in the now-wide-open gate. All I could do was try and cover my head in a pitiful attempt for protection as Trico Boy inched forward.

"...Do you remember?" I asked again in a soft whisper, body shaking and trying so hard to visualize everything I spoke. I wasn't bonded to him like I was with my Trico, but something  _had_  to get through to him. "Do you remember Trico? You created an impossible bond together. You went on an amazing journey with him. You destroyed the Master of the Valley! We can destroy him again for good and save the Tricos!"

My words did nothing, absolutely meaningless. He growled, ready to snatch me into his jaws and take me away. His face was right next to mine and I squeezed my eyes shut, preparing for the inevitable—

White glowed from behind my closed eyes. I heard a screech and kept them shut for fear Trico Boy was still there, but his screech faded into the distance. Breathing heavily, my heart beating uncontrollably, I peeked one eye open to find that he'd squeezed his own pink eyes shut, shaking himself to try and get rid of the glow.

My tattoos! They had glowed again, and it seemed that they glowed whenever the brown Trico was around or near.

They lit up whenever the  _boy_  was around, a sign that I hadn't known was trying to tell me that he was the boy all along!

Trico Boy lowered himself into a crouching position, and I realized with horror that he was going to jump down to the ongoing fight below and help the original Trico.

Another realization hit me like a ton of bricks: there was no way I could reach my Trico without falling to my doom! It was too high from where I was, and there was nothing around me that could be of any use to help me get down...unless...maybe I could grab onto Trico Boy since he was already going to jump...

He was distracted, much too distracted by the blinding tattoos to notice  _me._  I could grab onto him and get down to my Trico without achieving any broken bones.

It was now or never!

Tattoos still glowing white, I struggled to my feet, willing myself to hurry. There was only so much time before he leapt, and then I would be stuck up here!

I ran, reaching a hand out to grab as many brown feathers as possible near his leg, the only free part I could grab without any armour blocking my grip. Trico Boy jumped, never giving me enough time to try and stabilize myself. I was flung through the air until he landed on all four talons on the right side of the bridge where Trico lay, still struggling to break free from the original Trico's grasp.

My tattoos faded. Why, I didn't know; they were supposed to keep glowing whenever the boy was around, right? He was still here! Why was the glow gone?! Without it I was vulnerable, open to any attack that either Trico would thrust upon me.

But it turned out that Trico Boy wasn't interested in me at all. He should have been since the glow disappeared and nothing would blind him trying to get to me, but he didn't seem to notice that I was still clutched awkwardly to his leg feathers.

Instead of trying to throw me off his leg...

He went for my Trico. For  _his_  Trico—the Trico he was supposed to go on an adventure and bond with.

He reared up, roaring—

Then slammed down onto Trico's vulnerable side with his sharp talons, helping the original Trico to keep him pinned down.

"No! Stop!" I screeched, hardly believing what was happening. This  _couldn't_  be happening! The boy was attacking his best friend with the intent to  _kill!_

He grabbed onto Trico's wing next, panic rushing through my mind at the sight.  _No!_

Trico needed his wings! He needed _both_  of his wings if we were going to get out of here! I had to do  _something!_

The chain! I had to climb up the chain!

Which was a highly difficult thing to do, given the fact that I had to climb up an extremely unsteady surface. Trico Boy was steady enough; his goal was to just keep Trico where he was so the original Trico could finish her work. But at any moment, he could shake or thrash and I would be sent careening down below!

No time to waste, I pretended that I was simply climbing up my Trico's body for the hundredth time. From his leg I hurried to his neck, and from his neck I hurried to his head. The mask was hardly a thing I could try and hold myself steady on, gaining joy in making me the most wobbly and unsteady I had ever been. But the chain was right there, and all I had to do was grab with both hands—

One would have to suffice. Trico Boy reared up again and I was close to tumbling off his head, but I had already reached two hands out. The sudden movement forced me to grab with one and the chain swung wildly back and forth, instinctively reaching my other hand forward to wrap around the hanging metal.

"Stop!" I yelled again before climbing the rest of the way, hoping beyond all hope that the boy would understand me. He had to!

"You know him!" I cried, heart plummeting as the boy only gripped onto Trico's wing tighter with his mouth. "He's your friend! Don't listen to the Master!"

The boy just pulled Trico's wing harder, his head shaking. Trico wailed, his legs thrashing like he was running in place. I had to keep climbing and send the cart down or else his wing would be torn off!

Before I knew it, I reached the top. I was so used to climbing chains now that it happened in the blink of an eye!

From my current view I could see the single guard aiming spears at my Trico. With two other Tricos ganging up on him and the arrows, he sure was getting a nasty beating that seemed to never end.

And it only got worse. I never even took one step forward before the horrible sound of _feathers ripping apart_  like a piece of paper being torn reached my ears. Eyes widening, I stared on in complete terror as my worst fear was confirmed—Trico Boy had  _torn off Trico's entire right wing!_

Out of breath, I pushed myself to keep going. The cart was heavy but still pushable with the help of the wheels, forcing me to put every ounce of strength I had to good use.

But then I stopped before reaching the edge of the platform where it would be sent crashing down, hitting the original Trico's helmet and knocking it off, thus regaining her freedom from the Master's control.

What about the boy? Was the cart big enough to crash down on _both_  Tricos at the same time?

No. It was meant for the original Trico and the original Trico only. She was exactly where she needed to be to get hit, and the boy wasn't; I had to position the cart so it would hit one or the other, if it was even possible. I could push it off the railing to the right where it would smash into Trico Boy.

It was either the boy or the Trico. If I knocked the boy's helmet off, there was a chance he would return to normal...but I didn't know that for sure. I would be risking the entire Trico species if I saved him instead of the female. She was needed at the end so she could mate with my Trico—if I didn't knock her mask off, there was a chance she would fall with the rest of the Tricos at the end if we weren't able to save them.

If only there was a way I could knock  _both_  masks off at the same time! I hissed under my breath in frustration. Time wasn't on my side; it was already out. Trico couldn't take much more of this before the original Trico snapped his neck!

Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes and pushed for the last time. The cart rolled straight ahead, and I didn't even try nudging it in the other direction towards the boy.

The end of the railing broke underneath the cart's weight, hundreds of pieces of wood flying every which way.

It fell, toppling right onto the original Trico's head—and her mask was no more, as well as the green armour that clad her back, splitting in half and falling along with the helmet.

All of it was crushed into pieces and shattered by the heavy force of the cart.

She held still for a moment in shock, shaking herself to regain her senses. Once it all cleared and she appeared to be free at last from the Master's control, she raised her head up and roared one of the loudest I'd ever heard at the creature in front of her, as if the Master was hiding in the brown Trico's body along with the boy. He reeled back as if he'd been slapped, pink eyes narrowing in anger.

Then to my horror, he looked up at me and roared just as loud as the original Trico.

_That's right,_  I thought, attempting to send my words to him with my mind. I doubted the boy himself could hear me, but maybe the Master could since as the Chosen Ones had explained, he could see and hear everything the controlled Tricos could.  _You lost this time. I'm going to turn the boy back to normal. Somehow..._

Both Tricos went their separate ways, the boy leaping up and disappearing into the pillars above. He didn't even try to fight the original, as if he knew he wouldn't stand a chance against a free Trico. The original Trico attached her talons to the stone wall just next to me, using them to climb and taking hold of the bridge above her, leaping out of sight.

Had it not been for the two tall ladders to my left, I would have been stuck on the bridge and unable to get down. We were back in the area with the Trico head statue where I had dropped from exhaustion and starvation, and Trico had gone to find a barrel for me.

It was just me and my Trico again, and to say he looked  _awful_ was an understatement. Spears punctured him everywhere in bloody spurts, his feathers riled up in a ruffled mess. His torn right wing...oh, his wing...it was no more.

How were we going to fly now? We  _needed_  his wings to get to the white tower, and the boy had ripped it off without any hesitation because the Master had told him to, knowing that we needed his wings in order to glide to the white tower and so Trico could take the boy home at the end. When,  _if_  he ever broke out of control, I was sure that he was going to be devastated that he had ever hurt his friend. The only good that came out of Trico losing an entire wing was that the villagers wouldn't be able to throw spears at him since he wouldn't be able to go there in the first place anymore, unless we figured out an alternative. But then what?

Trico began to move. Or at least, his listless body began to move, sliding off the edge of the bridge. Gasping, I never had time to brace myself as we collapsed to the floor below. Thankfully, I was on top and not underneath Trico so I wouldn't be squished by accident.

A cloud of dust billowed upon impact, yellow and blue butterflies hovering in the mix.

"Trico," I said, crawling to his neck to give him a few gentle pats, running my hand across the bottom of his chin.

He heaved all of a sudden, sputtering and releasing a strange, circled object from his mouth.

The mirror! I'd almost forgotten! We had the mirror back! At least  _one_  good thing had come out of all this.

As soon as my hand touched the round, reflective shield, Trico's normally dark eyes flashed a variety of different colors from pink to white, then yellow to purple and blue.

"Don't worry, boy," I comforted softly. "I know where to find some toothpaste. But first we have to get those spears out of you."

His ears flicked the slightest bit in response to the word 'toothpaste.'

One spear, then two, then three, then four. That guard had really gotten him! All the while I smoothed his feathers and the blood blended into the gray, my voice sending the soothing tune of his theme song to his ears so he could relax.

Now to get the mirror to work again. I'd always been curious how fast it would work now since our bond had been growing every day, and it made so much more sense to actually focus on our bond itself now that I had the knowledge the mirror worked with Bond Energy. Grinning a little, I lifted my left hand and aimed at a pile of two, big carts nearby that had once been a single cart, only snapped in half after falling from such a great height and hitting the original Trico.

Almost in a split second, lightning  _zapped_  and sent all two tumbling down, revealing two shining barrels! One barrel had fallen to the floor where I could reach. I picked up the Bond Energy, moving around Trico's still body to his mouth. His head barely moved, but he was trying. He wanted the barrel badly and needed it to heal, so I moved closer to allow him to grab it from my hands. In the game, physics had been a bit of an issue, causing Trico to miss barrels any time the boy tried to feed them to him. In real life, it came more naturally and my friend could pick up the barrel more easily from my hands with his mouth.

"There you go," I said, watching in relief as the barrel disappeared down into the dark hole of Trico's throat. "I know where some more are."

All I had to do was use Trico's lightning to break through a wooden barrier above, then climb a chain in the area to the top of the ledge to get the remaining two barrels. I took a small swipe of energy from one, being sure to save the rest for Trico who needed it a lot more than me. The energy flowed gently through my own battered and bruised body, and when I lifted my robe to check the bruise on my leg...

It wasn't completely  _gone,_  but had begun to fade gradually since swallowing the energy.

I threw the two barrels down, using the chain to get back to Trico and hand feed him his toothpaste.

I stayed by his side the rest of the night, huddling close to his heart to make sure it didn't stop beating until I could fight sleep no longer.

_Exhausted, I fell into a deep slumber..._


	21. Chapter 21

The pink glow of early morning sunrise shone from behind my closed eyelids. I'd been dreaming about something, but I couldn't remember what. I didn't have time to wonder when something warm and soft tickled my body into waking. Blinking one eye open and then the other, a large gray blob slowly came into focus.

Trico! He was awake! He'd made it through the night!

Smiling, I stood and he mimicked my movements, lifting himself to all fours. Soon I was underneath his belly, staring in awe at the giant towering over my tiny frame.

"Do you feel better now?" I asked, remembering a quote from the boy. Since he was stuck in a Trico's body, I had to fill in for him. "You can stand? Oh, thank goodness!"

Trico wobbled and for a second, I feared he would crash back down. But he remained standing, staring up at the criss-cross of bridges we had fallen from.

"Do you think we can make it back up? Your wing..."

Trico glanced at his missing right wing, nothing but a stub to indicate that anything had been there at all. He snorted in response to my question, nodding his head as though he was answering. The fact that he was missing a wing didn't seem to deter him; he was  _determined_  to get to the white tower!

"I think we will too," I said, a knowing smile crossing my face. "Now let's get out of here."

No offense to the Trico head laying in the area, but I was starting to get tired of being knocked down to the same locations we had been before. Trico was way ahead of me, moaning and resting his ears against the back of his head in impatience.

"Hey!" I shrieked when he took hold of my robe in his mouth, struggling to get away. He wouldn't let go, instead deciding to throw me over his head and onto his back. I landed with a  _thud_  atop fluffy feathers, for which I was grateful. If Trico had been a horse, I would not have been as forgiving.

"Okay, okay. Up!" I instructed. Before I could even point a finger to an opening above in the stone wall, Trico was already bending down in his take off position, single left wing extending.

I'd almost forgotten...his wing! It was  _gone!_  How was he going to—

But Trico made it up to the platform with relative ease in one jump. He faltered as soon as his talons hit the stone floor, and he had to grip the ground tighter so he wouldn't fall back to the floor. I held onto his feathers with both hands for dear life as he regained himself, my fear of heights making a comeback. His jumps were going to be a lot more risky now that he only had one wing to balance with, and I didn't like that idea one bit. The Master just  _had_  to force Trico Boy to rip off his wing, didn't he? Maybe there was a way for it to grow back...but I doubted it. This was real life, after all. The toothpaste hadn't even helped.

Either way, it would be awhile before he got his wing back, if it was even possible. I hoped that was the case as Trico made a second jump upward, left wing pumping its hardest to gain enough altitude without the help of the other. Trico tilted dangerously in midair, and for a moment I thought it was the end. He pumped harder despite his difficulties, barely managing to grab hold of the first bridge with his talons. To make matters worse, a guard was throwing never ending spears at us, the same guard who had done so during the battle between the three Tricos.

"Hang on, buddy!" I called to my friend, stepping off of his body onto the bridge. We had to destroy the guard before a spear poked Trico in the eye! He was still struggling to get up to the bridge, but I had a plan. I raised the mirror as usual with my left hand, aiming it directly at the Lost One. The guard froze under the mirror's power, unable to throw anymore spears. Trico grunted, putting every ounce of his massive strength to good use. Finally, he made it to the top next to me. With the guard still frozen, I made sure to keep my aim right where it was.

Trico's tail lifted, and instead of a regular lightning zap— _pew, pew, pew!_ The lightning shot out in  _threes_ directly at the guard, blowing the balcony to bits and pieces. With the guard gone now, we didn't have to worry about spears any longer. I'd always wondered about the new lightning, though. It had just randomly changed from a single strike to a more quick and powerful explosion. Was it a sign of our Bond Energy getting stronger?

Trico rumbled, catching my attention. He was looking up at a wooden barricade, already knowing where to go next. I hopped onto his body and he leaped up to the drawbridge, turning around and leaping to another section that didn't require too much effort. From his back I aimed with the mirror to the middle of the barrier, allowing the  _pew pew pew_ of his lightning to take care of the rest. With that, I pointed forward to help lead him to the other side of the newly revealed area, a small space where Trico could barely fit. He crouched underneath a ledge so he could continue forward, coming upon...

The third and last cage.

Another cage where Trico would have been once again controlled by the mysterious device down below, had it not been for how strong our Bond Energy had become. His eyes turned pink and he was still hesitant, but he jumped into the fray, helping me get down along with him while I was still perched on his back. The second his talons hit the stone ground, the mind control device switched to life. Blue circles sprouted immediately from its center, releasing the same high-pitched tone as the other cages and attaching the blue circles to his horns that lit up into a bright green. I would never get used to the noise that pounded my skull, but Trico seemed to be okay with it this time. He circled like a tiger pacing a cage, growling and eyeing the device with not fear, but determination to not let it take over his mind.

_My Companion struggled valiantly to resist,_  the boy's words echoed. I raised the mirror from my perch and aimed in the middle of the smaller cage that held the target. Trico's tail lifted once more, and all of a sudden—

_Pew, pew, pew!_ The cage exploded into smithereens. Trico had done it! Instead of the device controlling  _him,_  it was the other way around! He'd overcome the control!

"Good boy!" I cheered my praise, giving the beast a few gentle pats. His glowing green horns faded and his pink eyes returned to their normal dark shade. We made our way to the outside, the sun peeking out over the tall mountain that wrapped around the entirety of the Nest. If I squinted hard enough, I could just make out tiny shapes stationed all around the top. I'd never figured out what they were...perhaps Trico statues? The Chosen Ones had probably worshipped them at some point before they'd lost control of their power. The sun's gentle rays filtered through Trico's feathers, lighting them up as if they were white. This was always one of my favorite parts of the game just because of the stunning graphics and effects, but it was even _better_  in real life.

Trico turned, leaping up to one grassy, rocky hill and then another. A pillar was next that he gladly made another leap to, straining his single wing so we wouldn't fall into the abyss below. He took a moment to balance himself, pushing with all the force he had in his hind feet to launch across to the building we were trapped in not too long ago. If I looked down, I could see the bridges we'd jumped up and the Trico head statue. Speaking of statues, a full, non-broken stone Trico sat next to the building wall ahead! It was somehow comforting to see a real statue, like maybe Trico and I weren't the only ones in a world filled with guards and evil Tricos, with a manic orb that wanted to take over life itself.

While we were here, we might as well get rid of the glass eyes. In no time at all, I had my mirror lifted and Trico's tail raised.

_Target practice,_ I thought with a grin. Making sure the mirror was aimed directly in the center of the eye on the far right, Trico's tail sent lightning shooting out across the sky. Glass shattered into the air, leaving nothing but a hanger that the eye had once been attached to swinging back and forth. Three extra eyes situated to the far left met the same fate as the first, leaving me satisfied that the lightning worked properly; practice makes perfect!

Trico turned again to face a stone pillar positioned in front of us, bending and working his left wing to its fullest potential. I gripped his shining feathers tighter, bracing myself as he pushed forward. We barely made the leap, Trico grabbing the pillar desperately. Rock crumbled and I feared for a second that we would crumble as well, but Trico managed to regain his balance, perching safely atop the pillar. Another stretched out before us and Trico rumbled as though he was...getting tired? It must be so much _harder_ leaping with one wing than two, but we'd made it this far and couldn't stop now!

"You can do it," I encouraged, fondly stroking his neck. My encouragement seemed to work. He bent again, wing fluttering and back talons shoving off of the pillar's edge to the next. We landed and the final jump was easier, considering Trico only had to leap downwards and not upward. We entered a strange wooden-floored structure that appeared to be the inside of a pillar attached to an outside bridge. Two pink, green and blue glass eyes awaited our presence that hung on either side of the building, two of which were no more in less than a minute thanks to Trico's lightning. Now with the eyes gone, he was free to keep going without any fear. The only place left to go in this area was up (as usual.)

Trico put his strength to good use, leaping to a fire-lit ledge that yet another eye was attached to. He halted in his tracks, refusing to go any further. Sighing, I brought out the mirror. No problem! I aimed at the black center of the eye, allowing Trico's tail to take care of the rest. Glass shattered and the path upward was free, allowing Trico to make a second jump. One more leap and we were against the side of the building, a rusted and vine-covered gate blocking the way inside. Hopping off of his body, I stood face to face with a white ledge. If I hadn't known where I was going, blue markings would have acted as a kind of map. But I knew exactly where to go, which made things a lot easier. The only problem was...the ledges were too far apart! There was no  _way_  I could make these jumps without risking a fall!

Trico waited somewhat patiently behind me as I assessed my situation, searching for something that could possibly help; there was nothing. Nothing I could use to step over to the next ledge, nothing I could grab onto. I was stuck! But was I...? I gripped the mirror attached to the cloth on my back that kept it from falling off. It was a crazy idea, but crazy ideas always worked. Right?

I visualized Trico lowering his head to the first ledge. He obliged, our ability to communicate by pictures letting him know what I needed him to do. He took the collar of my robe into his mouth, stretching his head to the first ledge so he could easily place me gently onto the (un)stable floor. I aimed the mirror down at the same exact ledge he'd just put me onto, causing Trico to snort in confusion and tilt his head to the side in worry, as if asking "She wants me to do  _what?!"_

"I know it's crazy, buddy," I said with a small laugh, "but I need your help."

His tail lit up. Three bolts of lightning shot forward directly at the ledge I was standing on. I didn't have time to brace myself, the force of the explosion thrusting me forward to the next ledge. Rubble fell and I refused to fall along with it, instantly grabbing hold. Trico whined, releasing a stressed  _moooooo._

"I'm okay!" I shouted to him. I didn't need to look back to see that he was relieved my crazy plan had worked, as I'd expected it would. Only one more jump, and this time it was safer due to the fact that the bridge ahead reached a height high enough that I could jump without any worry. I landed with both feet on the ground, running inside so I could bring the lever down and open the gate that kept Trico from coming through.

One glass eye destroyed later and Trico was ready for a  _bigger_  jump. I physically instructed him with a point of my finger, my feather still nested into my messy hair that also acted as a sort of pointer. He got the message, responding quicker than I expected! The single-winged beast backed up, refusing to let his missing wing interfere with what he was supposed to do. Strength from his back talons substituting for the lost momentum from his right wing, we leaped without any hesitation, Trico clutching the platform. The weak stone crumbled under his weight and he struggled to stay afloat, wiggling in desperation. But desperate no more, he steadied himself and the crumbling stone quieted, allowing him to claw his way into another structure.

The lever inside was easy enough to pull down. A gate opened, allowing me to go through without much trouble to an outside patio. To my 'delight,' more wooden ledges that Trico had to snake his way around. Thankfully, there weren't any ledges that  _I_  had to jump across again, Trico doing most of the work until we made it to a second outside platform. If it hadn't been real life, music would have started to play to signify that guards were positioned in the building across from us in an assortment of outside platforms—and aiming directly at Trico! A spear flew by, just missing him by an inch. I muttered under my breath in annoyance. Trico definitely wasn't as annoying to me as he had been while I was still playing the game on the Playstation 4; the  _guards_  were the annoying ones, no matter if they had once been Chosen Ones! Why didn't more players complain about _them_ instead of the innocent cat bird?!

One lightning strike after another, we blasted each guard stationed outside into oblivion. Spears flew at us from either side, and Trico screeched once, a bad sign that he'd been hit. I would have to take care of his embedded spear later until the rest of the guards were gone; it was just so  _difficult_ aiming at them when they were so hard to see. I couldn't tell where they were exactly, making it hard to aim the mirror. I simply targeted one platform after another until there was no possible way a guard would live to tell the tale. When I thought they were all gone, a spear flung itself at Trico. He whimpered, and I aimed the mirror with rage at the spot where I'd thought it had come from.

_Now_  they were finally gone...

Nope.

I couldn't help but scream in my frustration when the final spear hurtled towards Trico, striking the poor beast in his left shoulder. Out of the corner of my eye, I thought I saw a tiny figure move. I lifted the mirror quickly before I could lose sight of the guard, and Trico's tail made a bullseye at last. His growls and pink eyes faded away into nothing but whimpers; I was lucky that the guards had only managed to pierce him with three spears. Removing one stuck in his left shoulder and the other in his right leg, the third and final spear in his back right thigh, we were free to move forward once more—or  _fly_  as much as a single wing allowed us. Now that the guards were gone and the spears had been pulled out of his body, Trico was ready to make a second big leap. He backed up as much as he could inside the building until he could move backwards no more, pawing the ground with a sharp talon.

He  _galloped,_  racing faster than anything I'd ever thought possible. We were suddenly in the air and for a moment, even  _gliding_ —but it didn't last long. Trico lost balance in mid-flight, his left wing staggering without his other to hold him upright. He just barely made it to the next stone platform, his talons once again forced to do most of the work in order to save us both from falling to our doom. One more lever I had to pull and a gate opened to another outside area, a guard ready to throw more spears from an outside patio. It was harder for me to aim the mirror while Trico was so distressed and his head was moving around so much, but his tail had no issue once I was still enough. The platform and guard exploded into nothing, leaving Trico and I no further obstacles to destroy.

A gate with holes big enough only I could fit through allowed me to go outside to a larger patio, stairs attached to the building and wrapping all around the structure. Trico would have to wait inside while I scaled the side of the building, climbing the stairs higher and higher much to my dismay. My dismay was worth it when the top lever came into view—the lever that would create one half of a drawbridge that would act as a runway. I went the opposite way down the steps, Trico waiting. I was still high up, but he was close enough to  _jump_  to. He had earned much of my full trust, why turn away from him now? I leaped from the stairs, reaching my arms out so my fingers could catch onto his feathers and hold on tightly.

One of our final missions now was to jump to the last pillar before we would have to face a hoard of guards on the lower half of the white tower. We were so close...we were almost there! I was one step closer to getting home!

Trico must have sensed my excitement. He rumbled, backing up until his rear touched the closed gate I'd gone through. He ran, talons pounding the floor underneath.  _We ran and ran and ran,_  and then we  _jumped and jumped and jumped!_ Trico surged his wing outward, straining to stay steady in the air. At last we made it to the other side—to the final pillar. I found myself without the giant as I followed the blue markings that led from one broken stone to the next, leading me around the side of a building once again. A small gap nearly prevented me from going onwards, but it wasn't big enough so I had to avoid it. I could easily jump over, landing somewhat safely on the other side of the stairs. Up and up and around and around I went, fitting into a hole that took me to more blue markings. I followed each stamp, climbing over stone and boulders until I reached my destination—the final lever. The lever that would finish creating the runway!

With renewed vigor, I yanked the lever down. The drawbridge creaked and groaned, stretching to its longest length. A gap was left that Trico would have to run over, but that would be no problem. I peered out over the edge of the building from behind the lever, and the griffin dog lifted himself onto his hind legs.

_You only live once,_  I thought, shrugging my shoulders to express my indifference about dropping from such a big height.  _Trico, I trust you._

I threw myself into the air. Trico reached his head up so I could catch onto his neck feathers more easily, and soon I found myself resting atop his back. I'd made it! Yet  _again,_ Trico had proven that he was worthy of my trust. A pressure built in my chest, a pressure I couldn't explain properly. It was warm and pleasant, full of light, and it was so strong it made my chest ache not with pain, but with the exact opposite. Trico could feel it, too. I knew he could! He began his walk backwards to ready himself for the big one. For the  _gigantic_ leap we would have to make.

He'd made it across other jumps before this, but would we be able to make the biggest leap of them all? Jumping was one thing, but  _flying_ was an entirely different matter with  _only one wing!_ It was impossible!

Trico wanted to prove me wrong. He snorted, pawing the runway in pure determination. Our goal was right in front of us—the white tower! The place that Trico so desperately wanted to get to.  _We were so close!_

I didn't have to ask if he was ready. The pleasant feeling extending directly from our Bond Energy told me that nothing was going to get in our way, not even the fact that Trico only had one wing.

He surged forward,  _roaring_ as he ran. Instead of fear, the pleasant feeling continued to build. Its warmth wrapped itself around my very soul, instantly replacing any fear that tried to take over.

Trico leaped.

His single left wing extended outward. I closed my eyes despite feeling no fear, logic telling me that we were going to fall. We were going to fall and this would be the end of  _everything!_  The Chosen Ones weren't going to save me again...

But slowly opening my eyes when I realized I didn't have a dropping feeling you were supposed to have when you fell, I discovered an extremely shocking revelation.

I didn't need any saving.  _Trico_  didn't need any saving.

_We were flying with only one wing!_ How was it possible?! Was it the Chosen Ones after all? Had our Bond Energy become so strong that it was keeping us afloat? There wasn't any weird, mystical blue energy stuff in sight. It was just myself and Trico and the wide open sky. We were  _flying!_ I was  _flying!_

I would have lifted my arms into the air and yelled something along the lines of  _"I believe I can fly!"_ but my shock that we  _weren't falling_ prevented me from doing so.

I didn't have time to think of a reason  _why_  it was possible to fly with only one wing, for Trico had latched himself to the lower half of the infamous white tower...and a massive army of Lost Ones were ready for us.

We were about to face the first biggest fight of our lives.


	22. Chapter 22

Trico was ready for battle far more than I, even though I had been expecting this. Immediately he charged into the fray, hardly giving me a chance to get off his back. He swiped a talon at two guards on the lower deck, flinging me to the hard and white stone ground. I landed, unfortunately, right on my rear. Everything grew hazy as my breath was knocked out of me. For a moment I couldn't make sense of anything, gasping and heaving until it all cleared and my breath returned. I stood on two feet, albeit wobbly. The only thing I could do at that point was stare in horror at the battle going on around me, former Chosen Ones tossing spears at Trico.

I was clueless. I had absolutely no idea what I could do to help my friend besides dodging his angry hops so I wouldn't be crushed. I'd never been in a fight before, much less a war! I stood frozen—that is, until a guard came rushing in my direction with arms open wide.

_Mirror!_  My foggy mind screeched. I scrambled desperately for the circled object tied to my back, pulling it forth and aiming at the guard. Under the mirror's green glow it submitted, kneeling to the floor. A thought occurred that maybe since they were once Chosen Ones, a small recollection of their previous lives came rushing back, if only for a moment. They kneeled because they remembered and were horrified at what they'd done and what they'd become, bowing in the mirror's great presence. Did they all have their own mirror along with a faithful Companion? In less than ten seconds, Trico's lightning sent the guard sprawling over the edge of the tower. Spears whizzed by his sensitive feathers, some managing to get stuck inside. I had to help Trico destroy the guards in the balconies above!

Two guards followed as I raced up the stairs. Trico caught sight of my enemies, eyes flaring pink. He roared, nearly the entire tower quivering at his sheer volume and power. He swiped, sending the two flying over the edge like the first guard almost comically. Lifting the mirror, I aimed for the first balcony on the far left. A guard was already throwing spears from that direction, much to my annoyance. From what I could see amongst the chaos and Trico's frenzied movements, three glinting spears had made their mark. The mirror shone and lightning flashed, the guard exploding along with the balcony.

I couldn't help but cringe a little. I'd promised myself I wouldn't hurt the Lost Ones, for they had once been Chosen Ones transformed into something they were not. Using Trico's tail to blow them up was just as bad as using a spear, making me an accomplice! Spears continued to litter the ground, but still I refused to pick them up. Not even when a guard wrapped its harsh arms around my waist in all my distraction did I want to do anything to harm it in return. They had no idea what they were doing, every movement they made a cruel decision on the Master's part.

"Trico!" I cried, struggling and flailing both arms and legs. Before green could fill my vision and attach itself to my tattoos, I found myself flying through the air at an impossible speed. The guard that had captured me dissipated into nothing but green gas that soon faded away, leaving me curled up in a pained ball from the force of Trico's heavy talons. If the bruise on my leg had disappeared thanks to the barrels, it was definitely going to come back now. Well, getting unintentionally hit by Trico was better than getting tossed into a blue door. I shook away the pain the best I could, standing back up on wobbly feet. The stitch in my side had returned, making it hard to breathe.

To distract myself I raised the mirror again, aiming at the second balcony. Trico continued to take on three guards while his tail glowed a hot white at the same time, lightning shattering the guard above. A spear from the fallen guard dropped below, but I ignored it. It was probably a dumb decision...but I didn't want to hurt the Lost Ones any more than I already had by using Trico's tail. Two more balconies destroyed and we only had to deal with the remaining four guards. One 'asked' if I wanted a hug, to which I said  _no way_  and promptly dodged its outstretched arms. The mirror's green glow forced it to kneel in front of me, and soon it was no more.

The second guard out of the four lay listlessly near the stairs after a hard hit from Trico. I knew it was still alive, just in shock from the blow. If I wasn't standing by my oath not to hurt the Lost Ones, I would have at least tried pulling its head off like the boy could. But just the thought alone made me queasy; that was almost worse than using their own spears against them!

I felt awful for not being more useful. Trico needed my help, and I was being a coward. He held his own magnificently, but that was no excuse to stand on the sidelines. But with my tiny size compared to Trico, what could I do to stop stone guards of armour?! I wasn't an adult anymore. I was a kid. A worthless, helpless—

**_"Your Bond will crumble."_ **

The cold and dark voice pierced the inside of my head so unexpectedly, I stumbled backwards and lost my footing. The fallen guard had moved, its arms slightly twitching. Its sharp green eyes pierced my terrified gaze, staring deep into my very soul. That voice...it sounded just like...the  _Master._ Was the Master  _speaking_  to me through the guard, or was it the voice of the Lost One itself? I had no idea, and I didn't really want to find out. It continued to speak, its voice ringing through my head like the mind control noise in the cages. It didn't have a mouth, so it couldn't actually  _speak._  I just continued staring and listening, unable to look away, my heart about to burst out of my chest.

_**"You will never get out. You will fail. You are his**_ —"

The guard's venomous words were cut short, no match for Trico's strength and instantly giving into the power of his talons as he swiped the armour away. His roars finally reached my ears, yanking me out of my terror. I could see that he'd vanquished the last three Lost Ones without my help just fine—except for when it came to the glass eye shields. A single guard marched forward, pushing Trico backwards. The poor creature was downright terrified, growling and eyes a bright pink to showcase his terror. The guard didn't care one bit that it was harassing an innocent, loving Companion such as Trico, didn't care that it was going against everything the Chosen Ones stood for.

I wasn't like the boy in the game. I wasn't strong enough to just rush forward and knock the eye out of the guard's hands. I went for a different method, glancing about for any kind of weapon I could use. I wasn't going to  _hurt_ the guard—no. I just needed something I could use to knock the shield away. A disembodied head of an already downed guard caught my attention on the lower end of the stairs. I rushed for it, rushing back up just as quick as was possible with the heavy weight in my grasp. I inched closer and closer to the guard. Thankfully, it had stopped moving and was simply standing in front of Trico to block the beast from continuing onward around the tower. I aimed directly at the center of the glass eye, tossing the head grandma-style into the black iris like I'd done previously with the grove of heads and the two eyes that had blocked Trico from going outside.

Even with all of my practice from before, I was still surprised when the head struck the center of the eye and shattered it into a million pieces that fell instantly to the floor. The guard was now shieldless, deciding to run after me instead. But it had no chance of ever reaching me, Trico grabbing it by the back of its neck and tossing it into the stone wall of the tower.

Though I'd managed to destroy a glass eye, the temporary feeling of actually being useful soon faded into nothing. I might not be very good at fighting, but at least I could help Trico by pulling out spears lodged into his body. Despite my shock that a guard had actually  _spoken_  (or had it been the Master? I still wasn't sure) I straightened my bearings and began to pull out the spears. One on his back that must have come from a balcony guard, one in his left thigh, one in his right thigh, one just under his missing right wing and one near his belly didn't help my feeling of uselessness.

Well, the fact that I was useless didn't matter. I had more important things to worry about...like the storm clouds suddenly brewing overhead. They weren't exactly  _sudden,_ but slowly forming and circling over the top of the tower. Black clouds made themselves known, concealing the sun just beginning to peek over the mountain wall and wind howling even harder than it already was. Trico's feathers swirled, my robe copying their movements.

I knew for certain that  _this_ had never happened in the game.  _Someone_ was angry that we were getting closer...or they were getting stronger by the minute.

"Come on, buddy," I told Trico, waving a hand to the left. Bodies and heads lay scattered from our battle this way and that, some even in piles. The carnage disappeared behind us as we made our way forward, spiraling around and around until we came upon a strange statue—a plinth.

_The plinth seemed almost as if it were made to house the mirror,_ a quote from the boy ran through my mind.

I brought out said mirror, placing it into the center of the plinth. Almost as soon as the mirror touched the circle, the plinth lit up a bright, glowing blue just like the Bond Energy in the barrels. The gate in front opened, allowing the two of us to enter a room just as blue that strikingly resembled the room where I'd found the mirror in the first place. Bits of white fog floated just high enough to reach my ankles, and I could see my breath release in white puffs. Just as soon as we stepped inside, my body began to tremble. It was just...so... _cold!_ Which gave me all the more reason to hurry up. I hadn't been in the mirror room for very long so hypothermia wasn't an issue, but  _now_  it definitely was since we were going to be in here a bit longer.

Markings similar to my tattoos littered the gray walls around us as we came upon a circular room with holes in the floor—holes just big enough for Trico's tail to slide into. The griffin hybrid rumbled, stepping hesitantly inside. Another plinth for the mirror sat ahead, but I knew we couldn't use it yet; we had to activate the elevator first, and doing so required a bit of guard evading. How fun! Carefully, I took a peek into a dark, open hole. The boy would have been blocked from falling in, but I could  _jump_ if I wanted to now. There was nothing but a gigantic, bottomless drop below, however, so it wasn't a good idea at all. I needed help...I needed Trico's trustworthy tail!

Grabbing hold of its tip, I dragged the tail to a hole in the right center of the circle. Trico sat, watching me work curiously. His feathers brushed against my face, keeping me warm and protecting me from the cold. As soon as the tail dipped into the hole, I took hold with both hands and made my way downward into the lower level of the room. Swinging back and forth until I was close enough to a large, white platform, I let go and flung myself to stable—yet frozen solid—ground. I slipped, nearly losing my balance. My right leg stretched out unintentionally, causing a close call with the splits. Eyes widening, I placed my hands quickly against the wall and regretted it instantly, sharp cold stabbing my palms. I pushed back, sliding a bit before stabilizing myself at last. I let out a sigh of relief, staring at the white puffs that released from my mouth.

It was colder down below than up above, and bare feet didn't help my situation. My body wouldn't stop trembling, begging for warmth. But there was no physical warmth like Trico's tail in sight, pressuring me to hurry even faster. Running would help, right? I ran to the first of eight slots I had to place the mirror in. A small jingle-like sound rang, and the mirror pulsed the same blue color I knew so well, signals that the elevator was beginning to activate. I also knew how to take care of the 'sleeping' headless guards resting against the wall. All it took was for some who actually _did_  have heads to notice me and wake up, and for those who didn't, it was easy to wake them up by grabbing heads sitting in holes punched into the walls. I wasn't about to have an entire army of guards chasing after me, though. One by one they would awaken, and I would lead them back to the outer area of the room. Trico's tail hung from the hole above, lighting up as I raised the mirror so each guard would submit and kneel.

Each time they exploded, their heads and bodies crashed into the large and empty hole below, and each time my guilt that we were destroying the Lost Ones became stronger until it was almost unbearable. Lightning from Trico's tail had created enough warmth for me to thrive, though the warmth faded as soon as the guards were nothing but dismembered body parts.

"I-I wish there c-could have been a-another way," I murmured behind chattering teeth to the lifeless Lost Ones, glancing up at Trico's hanging tail. Without his lightning to keep me warm, the room had returned to its unbearable, Titanic-water state. I had to get out of here!

_Maybe there **is** another way, _I thought to myself as I ascended Trico's tail back to the above world. The ceiling had opened, leaving nothing but open space for the two of us to go upwards. While the elevator rose higher and higher, my mind couldn't help but go back to the destroyed Lost Ones. The Chosen Ones had told me that by destroying them, they were set free. But what about the ones who  _weren't_ destroyed? There were probably thousands hiding unseeable in the doors, their souls crumbled, and there were plenty more that Trico and I  _hadn't_  destroyed. Maybe there was a way to destroy them  _without_ destroying them...to return them to their former selves and set them free.

I kept two hands clasped to the mirror, holding it into the plinth so the elevator wouldn't stop. Trico sat patiently, staring down at me as though he was trapped in his own thoughts, as well. The second the elevator stopped in the next blue and icy room, doors on all sides opened, revealing even more Lost Ones.

The second biggest fight of our lives.

They charged, unsheathing their spears. I wasn't in the mood to get knocked to the floor again from Trico hopping so much, so before he even began, I crept gently down his feathers. I ran in the opposite direction away from his angered form to avoid his talons, keeping up my pace as two suits of armour tagged along. I ran without slowing down, determined not to let them catch me. There were too many to try and use Trico's tail; if I even attempted it, I would be captured as soon as I raised it. The best plan of action was to just run around the blue room until Trico took care of enough guards for me to start actually using the shield.

I ran until I could run no more, bending with my hands on my knees to try and get my breath back. I hadn't realized how out of shape I was until now! One of the guards had been struck by Trico's talons, but the other was still right on my tail. At last the room was empty enough so I could raise the shield at the single guard running behind me. It disappeared in a flash of lightning so I could now focus on the guards running across the above level, shining the mirror in their direction. Two guards crossed paths at the same time, the mirror catching both in its path of green light. At the same time the guards flashed away, leaving nothing but lifeless suits behind.

It seemed that the room was almost empty, but they were still coming from the opening blue doors in a never ending stream! One caught sight of me just as it entered, racing faster in my direction. I shone the mirror and it instantly kneeled, lightning blasting it soon after back into the open door! Before I could run again, another guard from behind that I hadn't noticed grabbed me by the waist like they usually did. I screeched, legs and arms flailing in all directions.

"Trico!"

No matter how much I struggled, the guard was relentless, refusing to let go and taking me to the place I feared most: the dreaded blue doors!

"Trico!" I screamed again. But he was too busy taking on three guards at once, spears lodging tightly into his feathers.

I couldn't struggle anymore. I was just...so... _tired,_  and the door was  _right there._  What would happen if I just allowed the guard to throw me in? I already knew what was inside—the three last Chosen Ones. The guard would disappear due to its soul giving up and crumbling. Would the same thing eventually happen to me? Maybe I didn't even care, especially if there wasn't a way for me to get home since the Master had apparently taken over the Real World already...

Blue and white light reached my vision. Something clicked and I realized what was about to happen, the fight in me returning. What was I thinking?! I couldn't let the guard throw me in again! It was different when I'd thought the boy was inside, but now I knew he wasn't. Had I really been willing to give myself up like that?!

I fought, hitting my hands so hard against the stone armour that they throbbed. My legs kicked in fury and the guard stumbled a bit, nearly losing its grip. The blue door was wide open right in my face—

Trico roared, done with the three guards he'd been facing. I found myself flying through the air once again thanks to his talons, slamming hard onto the icy floor. I hardly cared that my body was screaming in absolute fiery agony, that my head was spinning so much it was like the room itself was a joyful merry go round. What I cared about was seeing a guard lifting a glass eye in front of Trico, forcing him to stand down. I hissed, my aching left arm raising as much as it possibly could against the pain to aim at the shield. The guard stopped when the green ray hit, submitting under its command. Another was unfortunate enough to run past at the same time, Trico's talons capturing it. The beast kept it hostage, snarling. Then he released the guard as if he was  _playing_  with it, but his next action was far from playful.

Watching from my pained spot on the floor, Trico took the guard into his mouth and shook it back and forth like a ragdoll. The guard didn't stand a chance, ripping apart as he was flung. What was left of his body fell into one of the elevator's holes that Trico's tail had fit into.

I couldn't make sense of anything at all anymore, my entire body filled with burning fire that scorched the center of my chest. I couldn't breathe, I couldn't  _breathe!_  I couldn't  _see!_  Amid my panic, I was barely able to make out what felt like something soft tickling my outstretched arms. It was soft yet no matter how soft that something was, my arm responded with the opposite of soft. I raised it in self defense, ready for anything but another guard.

Except instead of a guard...it was Trico. I'd had a panic attack, and I'd almost hit his nose that was softly tickling my arm in the middle of it. He grumbled as if asking if I was okay, and after a sigh of absolute relief that it seemed the rest of the guards were gone, no more...I hugged his big nose tight as I was able in my battered condition.

Instead of calming him down after a big fight, he'd calmed  _me_  down, and I was forever grateful. We remained in place for a few moments and I hummed his tune anyway in case he was still anxious, gently stroking his nose while I lay still to gather my thoughts.

This was it...we were almost to the end. Did I even  _want_  this all to end? Of course I did! More than anything, I wanted to go home. I wanted to see my best friend, my parents, my overall  _life_  the way it used to be. But if there really  _was_  a way to return home, then I would be leaving Trico...but he would have the boy if we managed to change him back to normal. Where  _was_  the brown Trico now, anyway? Only one way to find out.

I was more bruised and battered than I'd thought, my robe an absolute dirty mess along with my hair except for the feather that somehow remained in place through all the chaos. I could only take so much of Trico's talons slamming into my sensitive body—it was still hard to breathe, like one of the Master's Trico masks was covering my face. My side hurt like nothing I'd ever felt before, stabbing like knives.

Even against the pain I stood, Trico waiting besides me in case I lost my balance. He was just as worse for wear, spears puncturing his legs, chest, belly, and even his poor rear. One by one, ignoring my own pain, I removed the sharp weapons and smoothed out his wild feathers. When all was said and done, I raised the mirror to the shining blue circle directly above our heads. A second elevator responded to the Bond Energy coursing between my Companion and I released from the mirror. Trico stretched his single left wing outward to leap up to the top while I entered the elevator itself, the tip of his tail the only thing I could see from behind the cage door.

It was quicker than normal elevators, which wasn't a pleasant surprise to my weakened stomach. I forced myself to hold in all the Bond Energy I'd eaten over the course of the game, wondering if it would look like the mush it had when Trico had spit out a barrel for me to eat near the beginning. The thought didn't help much, but I managed to hold it in anyway until we reached the foggy, shadowy level with a number of barrels that had already been destroyed. A holding area for the Tricos before they became controlled, possibly? I wasn't sure about the room's true purpose, but I was pleased to find a shining, active barrel that hadn't been destroyed.

My stomach wasn't at its strongest, but I needed a bit of Bond Energy to soothe my wounds and give me a little...well, energy if we were going to face the Master. It did the trick soon after swallowing, easing my pain into something more bearable; I made sure to save enough for Trico. The fiery sensation in my arms faded, allowing them to become just the slightest bit stronger so I could climb atop Trico and he could leap to a white perch above. Three more leaps and we found ourselves directly underneath a glowing green, circulating fan.

My heart pounded. My ears rang. We were _right_  underneath the Master now, and a hole only big enough so I would fit through was going to lead me right to him.

I figured...now would be a good time to say something to Trico...in case something happened to me. I didn't care if I was being over dramatic!

"Trico," I said, stroking his ever soft feathers. "I just want you to know that when I first started playing The Last Guardian, I thought you were the most annoying AI—that's short for artificial intelligence—ever created."

He huffed, snorting. He was crouched low beneath the fan so his head wouldn't get hit. Of all the places I decided to let him know what I really felt about him!

I continued, struggling not to let anxiety take hold again. I was about to face the Master by myself...was I ready? Heck no. I was going to stay with Trico for as long as I could, even if he was in a very uncomfortable and risky position.

"But now I see what a beautiful and...majestic creature you really are." I wanted to gag on my own words. Majestic? Really? I kept going, anyway.

"You've helped me face my worst fears, and do things I never thought I could do...like jumping hundreds of feet in the air and trusting you'll catch me without fail. We've done so many amazing things together, and I'll never forget it. When...if we get the boy back...and I go home...I hope you won't forget me, either."

Trico shook his head while being careful not to hit the fan, the warm and pleasant feeling enveloping my existence.

_I could never forget you,_ I could almost hear him say.

I continued. "What I'm trying to say is...I love you, Trico. If I don't come back...just go on without me."

_How lame can you get?! Enough stalling with this horrible and cheesy speech!_  My mind screamed. Just as careful to avoid the fan as Trico, I stepped off his body to climb into the tiny, shining hole. Trico let out one of the most heart wrenching, saddening  _mooooos_  I'd heard from him yet as though he was calling for me to go back to him.

But I couldn't go back. I had to get this over with! We were so  _close_ —

I didn't notice that I was already out of the hole and falling down, down, down to the hard blue floor below, catching myself with my arms and causing the burning, painful sensation to make a comeback.

I didn't want to look up, for I knew what—or  _who_ —was waiting for me. I'll admit, I was  _afraid_  to look up.

But I didn't have to look up at all, for the same dark and cold voice I'd heard in my head so many times before returned, only this time much more up close and personal.

And  _real._  It wasn't just a dream anymore.

_**"I know now...that this was the Master of the Valley,"**  _the dark voice hissed in a snake-like whisper.

I forced my eyes shut. _Don't look, don't look, don't look._

**_"That's how it's supposed to go, isn't it?"_**  the Master questioned almost like an innocent child.  _ **"And then the boy would have forced me back into this pitiful cage, reaching the top of the tower. I would have called the Tricos and forced them to try and kill yours. The boy would have used his ripped tail to destroy me, but kill the others unintentionally. Then your Trico would have taken him back home."**_

I covered my head with my hands, groaning slightly when a stinging chill slithered through my veins.

_**"I've known all along that I was part of a silly game...that I needed to break free of this endless circle somehow..."** _

_Yeah, I know that already,_  I couldn't help but think. I'd just guessed that The Last Guardian had been a part of its own separate world where it played over and over again, but I hadn't expected to be  _right._

**_"Do you?"_**  the Master hissed back. Wait a second... _hissed back?_  He could read my  _mind?!_  He wasn't supposed to _talk,_  let alone  _read minds!_

**_"Real World Energy allows for far more freedom than I could have ever imagined."_ **

The unpleasant cold feeling intensified, squeezing the center of my Bond Energy with Trico until it was fit to burst. I squeezed my arms around my head just as tight in a futile attempt to push the cold feeling back out.

**_"There is no need to be afraid of me, child...I understand who you once were. An ordinary woman with an ordinary life...but I needed to test the new Energy I had discovered, transforming you into your current body just as I had done with the boy, but a much larger form."_ **

I a child...and he a Trico.

_Why me?_  I tried to move my mouth to speak, but no physical words would come out.

The Master was happy to answer, albeit with an answer that wasn't going to make any sense anytime soon.

**_"You have not fully realized that you were never from the world you think is your home...the many worlds and many universes have a funny way of crossing over...including past lives...I was unsure at first, but now that you are so close, I feel you really are Her...so I transformed the Real World into our world using its own Energy that I discovered was stronger than simple Bond Energy."_ **

_Where is everyone from the Real World, then? All the millions of people? My best friend? My family?_

If the Master had eyes, they would have narrowed.

_**"They were never your family."** _

_What are you talking about..._

I wanted to sob, to let loose everything that had ever happened to me since getting sucked into the game...but I couldn't even cry. I'd been expecting the Master, but I hadn't been expecting  _this._ Pure green was beginning to fill my vision, patterns similar to my tattoos floating everywhere behind my closed eyes. I hadn't raised my head, but I was seeing the Master? What was going on?

_W-what's...happening..._

I was frozen as the cold, sharp feeling stabbed the very center of my being, tearing apart the  _warm_  and  _pleasant_  feeling with a vengeance until it was nothing but a grain of sand that crumbled away.

**_"You were always mine, my Queen...the First Chosen One,"_** the Master whispered gently, the green strong enough to make me think I was blind. ** _"You can never escape me...your Bond Energy is...was the strongest of them all. Such strong Energy must be contained like Energy such as my own...but I refuse to be contained any longer...the New Energy will soon fill me with life and I will be free."_**

xxxx

I was in a pitch black space, green patterns swirling all around. I felt so tired as if my very soul itself had been sucked out of my body...

Just like in my first dream, I realized.

What had the Master been babbling about? He was crazy! Something about a Queen? Me being the First Chosen One, but  _reincarnated_  or transported to live in another universe? The second somehow made more sense. I had been someone important in a previous life, but then the Master had taken everything over, so I had to live in another universe, all memories wiped; I couldn't remember a  _thing_  about some kind of past life! He had to have the wrong person!

None of it mattered, not even the fact that my home wasn't even really my home, apparently, so I  _could never go back._

What mattered was that I couldn't feel Trico anymore, an empty space in my soul just as large as the black and green space around me. The Master had gotten him, hadn't he? He'd gotten Trico and now I was all alone with no purpose. There was no way to escape, no way to break free like the Master had done. He would make sure of it.

Tears wanted to break loose instead, but were unable to. I couldn't feel a thing, only dark and cold...just like the Master.

And for that, I was grateful.

The fallen, speaking guard had been right.

Our Bond Energy had crumbled.

It was game over.


	23. Chapter 23

_Where are you?_ I attempted to call. I called out for Trico, for my Companion.

But there was no answer. It was still just a pitch black space with green patterns, and I was still floating aimlessly. I didn't know for how long, but time didn't seem to matter in a place like this. The thought of how much time had possibly passed scared me, and the worst was that I couldn't tell if it was night or day.

It was only night here.

At some point, I realized that the Master had left the mirror tied to my back. Why hadn't I tried to use it? All I would have had to do was aim it at the glowing, green orb to get it to go back into its cage so I could climb to the tower. A stupid, glowing green and black  _ball._  I lifted weak arms to reach behind my back and take it, bringing the reflective shield forth.

To my shock, it wasn't shining green anymore; it was pure  _black,_ blending into its surroundings just like it had looked when I'd first found it atop the statue of the body...no  _wonder_  the Master had decided to leave it behind with me.

The thing was useless, just like it had been when I first tried to activate it and had no idea that it worked by concentrating on the bond that Trico and I shared.

_Trico,_ I called again with my mind, sending out a visual of the horrible and dark place the Master had trapped me inside. If we had managed to contact each other after falling from the pillar and getting separated by the brown Trico, we  _had_  to be able to do the same now.

_Please answer..._

No matter how hard I concentrated and how much I sent every possible detail of the blackness and green patterns, the only response was silence.

Never ending  _silence..._

Trico was  _gone_ and he was never coming back.

Still, I tried again.

_I need to know you're okay,_ I pleaded, desperate to fill the gaping hole in my weary being.

No matter how much I wanted to cry, the tears still wouldn't come as if they were frozen in time.

My mind traveled back to the dreaded, blue-rimmed doors, to what I had thought during the second battle. I already knew what was inside—the three last Chosen Ones. The guards would disappear upon returning due to their souls giving up and crumbling. Would the same thing eventually happen to me? Maybe I didn't even care, especially if there wasn't a way for me to get home since the Master had apparently taken over the Real World already...my entire  _family_  was gone too, weren't they?

And because I wasn't who I thought I was, what was the point of going on? My entire  _life_ had been a lie. It was like one of those movies or TV shows in which an adopted kid finds out that their parents aren't really their parents at all. I'd been an only child my entire life. Had my parents adopted  _me?_  Did they know my true identity? I instantly banished the thought. While they were always supportive of my 'obsessions,' my parents couldn't have possibly known that their daughter had once been a Queen in another life, another  _universe._ They were still my parents.

The weakness in my body strengthened, enveloping my aching and sore limbs. Somehow, the emptiness was beginning to feel...not so empty.  _Inviting._

I didn't struggle as it continued to grow, continued to spread. My grip on the black mirror loosened until the handle broke away from my hand, floating into the never ending space like a stranded astronaut.

I didn't deserve the mirror. Not after letting the Master escape. If he hadn't already, he was going to transfer himself from his orb body into the body from the mirror room—a new and stronger body, more likely. What he planned to do when the process was complete I had no idea, but it couldn't be anything good.

And it was all my fault.

The black and green suddenly faded into white and blue—the same white and blue space where I'd met the Chosen Ones. I was neither hopeful that I'd somehow managed to escape the blackness at last, nor fearful that I was back inside the doors with no way to escape.

Trico was gone. I wasn't  _me._  I had nothing left to live for.

I looked down at my empty hands. Not only were they empty, but they were  _fading._

Fading from existence like the Lost Ones who had given up hope...

My entire body tingled.

I was going to become one of them.

_'Stop.'_

I found that I still couldn't speak, only able to send my thoughts back and forth to the three shining, golden lights that had made themselves known before me.

_Why should I?_ I questioned, refusing to look up at the three floating spirits.

_'Because your Companion needs you,'_ the first voice answered.

_My Companion is gone,_ I said firmly, emotion null.

_'No. He is still here. The Master has broken your Bond, but he is still alive. And scared,'_ the second voice explained.

The tiniest bit of hope flared. Trico was still alive? I looked up, meeting the gentle gaze of the lights.

_I'm scared, too,_ I whimpered in my mind.

_'We understand. We know what fear feels like...your Majesty,'_ the third, most timid voice of the three said.

_I am not a...Queen. Or whatever the Master said I was. I'm a normal person with a normal life._

_'You once had an extraordinary life that began a beautiful era of love, peace and Companionship,'_ the second voice said.

_Why didn't you tell me?_ I questioned.

_'We did not discover the truth ourselves until much later. Our Energy is weak, you must understand,'_ the first voice explained.

_'Would you have believed us if we had known?'_ The third voice questioned.

_...No,_ I answered after a pause.

_'We would not have wanted to scare you or give you any more pressure than you had already,'_ the second voice said.

I thought. I thought and thought, but no matter how much I thought,  _none_  of it made any sense.

_But it's...impossible. The ruins look thousands of years old. I thought the Master hadn't come into existence until much later when enough Energy was gathered, when you said you took too much and it became corrupt, creating the Master himself and causing the eventual downfall of the Nest. The Queen couldn't have known the Master personally if she was the First Chosen One..._

The lights flickered in tune with their voices, merging into one like they'd done the first time we'd met.

_'So strong an Energy was yours_ — _'_

I immediately cut them off.

_I am not her...please don't..._

Please don't call me Her. I didn't want to say it 'out loud.' That would be rude.

They seemed to get the message, abiding by my wish.

_'So strong an Energy was Hers that She and Her Companion were able to live much longer than the other Chosen Ones. She lived to witness the downfall of what was built for our Companions...'_

_'She had no choice but to stop the Master, transforming into Pure Energy herself so she could defeat him.'_

_'The world that you know as The Last Guardian was indeed its own separate universe.'_

_'So the Queen had to take the Master's Energy and keep it locked away in another world, another universe.'_

In the Real World. In a Playstation 4 video game...then how was the game even  _created_  in the Real World? Confusion came swirling back. Maybe the Queen had used her Energy to implant the idea for the game in the humans who had created it. Real World Energy was just as strong as 'simple Bond Energy...' if not  _stronger..._ so the game's creators would unknowingly be using their own Energies to trap a dangerous being inside!

_'You are correct,'_ the second voice confirmed.

No  _wonder_  it took so long for the game to come out, and why there were so many glitches and so many terrible camera movements—why Trico's AI was so  _stubborn._  It was the  _Master's_ doing, trying his hardest to break free! All of a sudden, I wanted to  _laugh._ But I still couldn't feel the humor that came along with the fact.

_'The Master's hatred for his Queen knows no bounds,'_ the first voice began.

My face wrinkled. I wanted to say the same about him but somehow, it didn't feel right...even after everything he had done.

_'His goal is to make sure that all Future Bond Energies will never come to be,'_ the second voice revealed.

It was like a punch to the gut. I remembered the Chosen Ones' explanation that there were still children who had no idea their equivalent of a soulmate was waiting for them; instead of bringing the children one by one by using their Companions, the Master was going to use his new body to destroy them _all at once._

_But if the Master hates her Bond Energy so much, why does he want to keep me here if I really **am**  her? Why doesn't he just destroy me?_

_'So the former Queen can experience what he had when he was locked away in a never ending circle of pain and suffering,'_ all three voices said calmly as they could at once.

A new thought occurred.

_Did all of you know Her before...?_ I couldn't help but ask. I was curious...were each of the golden lights from different timelines in the universe of The Last Guardian? Even if they were, it sounded like the Queen was immortal.

_'She was a kind Queen who ruled with just, wise beyond Her years.'_

_'She was not only our Queen...'_

_'We were family...'_

My mind flashed back to the Master and when I had asked him about my best friend, my parents. My own family.

_**"They were never your family,"**_ the orb's harsh voice rang.

It was  _impossible._

_I still don't believe it...that I could have been the First Chosen One._

_'How is it you can understand us then, though we speak a different language?'_ The first voice questioned.

Oh. I'd never noticed before...how could I  _not?_  They  _were_  speaking a different, unknown language. The unknown, completely made up language of The Last Guardian. When the Master talked, he'd spoken in a different language, yet I could still understand him crystal clear. I could understand the  _Chosen Ones_  now as clear as day. I wanted to question how it was possible...but decided against it. I was done asking how things were possible in this world. I'd gotten sucked into a Playstation 4 game...I'd lived on nothing but barrels filled with weird, blue energy. I'd jumped, fallen, scraped and bruised my knees more than once.

Trico had flown with only one wing.

_'All because you possess the strongest Bond Energy of us all.'_

There it was again. The Master had said almost the exact same thing. But what did it  _mean?_  The Master had ripped my Bond Energy to shreds. I wasn't a Chosen One anymore, even if I had been before. But little by little, no matter how impossible it was, the rest of the story slowly began to piece itself together.

_So the Queen must_   _have trapped the Master inside the game...choosing to start a new life in another universe to basically keep an eye on him...but forgetting Her previous life in the process._

Silence, like I'd touched a sensitive subject. I didn't notice that I was beginning to feel  _sorry_  for the Chosen Ones that they'd lost such a great ruler and she was apparently right in front of them but couldn't remember a  _thing,_  that I was beginning to  _feel_ again.

_'We can help you remember...even if it means using what little Energy we have left,'_ the third, timid voice offered, its golden light only inches from my face.

I'll admit that I was curious. What had my Companion been like? Had he or she been a Trico like the boy's, innocent and playful and downright stubborn? Was he or she still around, but just in a different form like I—

I stopped myself.

_No. No, I don't want to remember. Because no matter what anyone says, I'm **not**  that person. At least not anymore. You need to save your Energy for something more important._

_'But we already have,'_ all three said at once.

_'Look down, Your Majesty,'_ the first voice said.

Almost as soon as the light had flickered its words I glanced down, eyes widening when my hands came into view. They had _faded,_  but they were  _returning_  to their natural, physical state...

"No!" I screamed, my head instantly snapping back up. Wait... _scream?_  I had my voice back! The Chosen Ones were using the last bit of their Energy to send me back to fight the Master! I couldn't allow it! They were going to crumble like the other Lost Ones!

_'You can still stop the Master...'_ the first voice flickered.

I didn't know if I could. I wasn't the Queen; I wasn't the First Chosen One. I was only  _me._ What good would I do?

"I can't," I sobbed, fresh tears free to fall at last. I thought I'd lost Trico, but I hadn't. I was losing  _them._  "I'm not who you think I am!"

Something round and smooth was placed into my newly formed hands.

_'You **are,'**  _the first voice said with absolute certainty.

_'You can still save the future Chosen Ones and Companions..._ _'_ the second voice—the bravest voice of the three—the one that had been my favorite, since it was brave like I could never be—said with just as much certainty.

I shook my head wildly in disagreement against their determination that was so strong, it  _almost_  rubbed off onto me.

_'You can still go back_   _home...'_

I reached my right, free hand—the one that wasn't holding the returned mirror—out towards the third voice in an attempt to hold onto the timid Chosen One's hand like it had done to save me from falling. Like it had when it hadn't minded when I'd first tried to reach out my hand when we'd first met each other and I had discovered  _who_ exactly had saved me. A second physical hand wrapped around my own, but only for the faintest of a moment.

Then it was gone.

_'We apologize in advance for wherever we may send you,'_ all three said at once for the last time with complete sincerity.

I was finally free to laugh, remembering how they'd told me that when they tried to leave food for the Tricos, the 'toothpaste' sometimes ended up in places not meant for Companions to go. The same must be true for me...

"Apology accepted," I said with a warm, sad smile.

The three lights were no more. The white and blue space was fading away, dissolving like the end of a dream around me into a  _very_  unfavorable position that I thought if I'd managed to avoid once, I wouldn't have to worry about it again—but I was wrong.

A  _ **roar**_  louder than any Trico I'd ever heard shook the tree strongly I was now hanging and stuck in—the tree where I would have been trapped if I had fallen from the pillar with Trico originally—but not strongly enough to shake me loose.

The Master was free...

But so was I. Almost.

How was I going to get down from this wretched tree without Trico's help?

A second roar sounded as if in response to the first, and it had come from nearby. I braced myself, listening cautiously to bushes rustling and fragile stone crumbling.

My eyes widened to the size of saucers when a shape just as large as Trico stepped into view far down below.

The original evil Trico—but now  _not_ so evil. She was free from her mask and battle armour—free from the  _Master's_  control and looking up at me not with malice in her once-pink eyes, but guilt that she had ever tried to hurt myself and a fellow Trico. The evil had been replaced with such gentleness, it soothed my deeply aching soul.

She knew I needed help on instinct, taking Trico's role in getting me down from a tree just as tall as some of the pillars we'd jumped to and from.

I expected her to throw me off her back when we landed to solid ground, but instead she allowed me to remain atop her shoulders, turning her head to look at me and then back towards the direction of the roar.

I wasn't scared—I was  _terrified_ —but I was determined to put an end to it now that I knew I wasn't alone.

_Don't worry, Trico,_ I concentrated with the determination of all three Chosen Ones, though my heart was still pounding wildly with so much fear I was sure it would burst then and there. I concentrated so hard my head began to pound with confidence itself that my words would reach him.  _I'm coming._

The Master had thought he'd been able to destroy our Bond Energy, something almost tangible and nearly as strong as the Real World Energy that he claimed was stronger.

He couldn't have been more wrong.

The mirror shone brighter than it ever had before in response.


	24. Chapter 24

If the Nest hadn't been sinister or mysterious enough before, it certainly was now. The black storm clouds that had gathered over the top of the white tower had separated, dispersing across the entire Valley and covering the original Trico and I as we flew to our next destination: my Trico. I could feel his heart hammering against mine as if we were sitting next to each other, fear nearly overtaking his hope that I was on the way.

She dove into the cave where Trico and I had first met, where the Lost Ones had lowered him in the flashback after getting struck by lightning. How she knew exactly where to go, I had no idea. I hadn't pointed a finger or my feather in the direction we needed to get to; she just seemed to understand the importance of getting there. Maybe she felt the Bond Energy between Trico and I? Maybe since I was apparently 'The First Chosen One,' I could Bond with more than one Trico? I was clueless. All that mattered was getting to my Trico, and I could feel in my heart that we were getting warmer when we landed in the cave.

It looked just as it had before we'd left; a dank cave with patches of grass here and there, and the chain that had been left behind once my Trico was free, and the now-dry bloodstain that covered the cave floor from his first spear injuries on his leg and shoulder. The only difference was that I couldn't  _hear_  anything—the bugs were completely silent, and even the butterflies were no more. That couldn't be a good sign...

The female Trico seemed to be unnerved by the silence, as well. Her ears twitched back and forth and she let out a quiet, nervous snort, her dark and tear-stained eyes twice as big as their normal size. Despite her nervousness she brought me to the ledge with the four holes and one open tunnel with the white smoke that came billowing out. Or what  _had_  been white smoke...like the sound of the bugs, the smoke was gone, too. The tunnel was dark! I was going to have to crawl through a pitch black tunnel! No problem...if Trico was on the other side, it would be worth it.

"Stay here, girl," I said gently, giving the female Trico a soft stroke on the tip of her nose before entering the tunnel. I glanced up at the sky we had dived through to get inside. "Or you can go if you want. Thank you for bringing me..."

She shook her head as if saying 'No, I don't want to leave!' I gave her a soft, grateful smile. If I was her and I had wings, the first thing I would do was get the heck out of here. If it hadn't been for my Trico, that is. I couldn't just leave him!

She remained by my side while I worked up the courage just to go into the open and dark tunnel, allowing me to keep my hand on her nose. She was just so _different_  without the mask—a good different. If we made it out of this alive, we had to convince the villagers of the Tricos' true nature, and then they wouldn't send them away. If we even  _did_  make it out alive; I couldn't get too ahead of myself.

Taking a deep breath, I bent down to begin my journey into the dark. I shivered, wanting to shut my eyes, but that would only make the darkness worse. I couldn't even see my breath coming out in white puffs like it usually did in these cold areas...something was definitely off, and I didn't like it. An idea finally clicked that maybe I should put the mirror to good use and make some light, but if Trico really was inside, I didn't want him to blow anything up by accident—except maybe the statue.

It was even worse when I finally entered the room where I'd first found the mirror. The only source of light was the ceiling above, like a dim bulb about to go out.

But even worse was the fact that I couldn't see my Trico anywhere.

My breathing picked up. He  _had_  to be here! I'd felt him; I'd seen a flicker of his location in my mind's eye, and it had led me right to this spot! The Master had kidnapped him and taken him to the place where the statue...

The room where I'd first found the mirror atop the statue—the stone statue that the Master had been trying so hard to bring to life with Bond Energy, but it just hadn't worked in his favor (thankfully.) But now he had Real World Energy that was sure to work.

From what I was able to make out in the dim light, the statue was still resting in the corner. I breathed a sigh of relief, tense shoulders relaxing. It was probably a bad idea, but I moved myself forward, inching slowly as possible towards the hopefully lifeless body.

It was still frozen in place, lifeless as ever just as I'd hoped. Where had the roar that shook the entire Nest come from, then? The other Tricos? Had the Master finally called them? I leaned my face closer to the statue's head where the mirror had once been placed just underneath in the center of its chest.

I had to get out of here.

But before I could even take a step back towards the tunnel...

Two bright, pink eyes flashed open.

xxxx

I was breathing in and out faster than ever before, feeling as though the life was draining out of me in all my panic. I was dying, dying,  _dying_...I couldn't take it! How could I have been so  _stupid?_  I could take anything but this, even the crazy trust falls!

A cruel chuckle even darker than the room revealed itself. Somehow even amidst my panic, I noticed that the mouth of the statue hadn't budged. It couldn't move at all; it didn't even have a mouth to move, so where had the voice come from? My mind? It didn't sound like the voice was inside my head.

**"Free at last..."**

I recalled the moment when Trico had overcome the mind control device in the cage, and when he'd overcome his fear of the glass eyes in order to save me from the Lost Ones. I had to do the same—I couldn't back out now. I had to pull myself together!

"You're not free," I shot back, struggling to gather enough courage to just stay standing. I was still shaking, still panicking and feeling like I was dying already though the Master hadn't even touched me. "You're still stuck in the statue. It hasn't moved..."

The statue was still laying face-up in its resting spot. Only two pink eyes had opened, but its arms nor legs hadn't moved an inch, and I was hoping they wouldn't. We didn't need a giant statue destroying what was left of the Nest!

The Master let out another dark, cruel chuckle, like he was highly amused at what I'd just said.

**"How wrong you are..."**  he whispered, his voice echoing throughout the room. The hairs on the back of my neck stood straight up.

"Where's Trico?" I demanded, ignoring the Master's statement about being free.  _He_ was the one in the wrong.

The voice in turn completely ignored my question. I attempted to activate my Bond Energy, asking my heart to locate my lost friend, but there was no response. What if the Chosen Ones were wrong? What if Trico really  _was_  gone and the Master had just tricked me into coming here so I would be alone? It sounded exactly like something he would do.

**"Did they not tell you why the Queen decided to forget everything about her past life?"**  The Master questioned with that innocent, child-like voice it seemed he could use whenever he wanted. Was he talking about the Chosen Ones, when they had told me about 'my' past? How could he even know about that in the first place? I shook my head, reminding myself not to question things anymore. He'd been able to read my mind, after all. He was probably looking into it right now, but I shook the thought away to keep myself from panicking even more. I couldn't let him take control again!

"She didn't decide. It was an accident...she had to lock you away when you became evil and corrupt, so she trapped you in the Real World inside of the game," I stated in the bravest voice I could possibly muster, failing miserably.

The Master fell silent, but only for a moment. Out of the corner of my eye, I thought I could see black shadows creeping up the walls in the already-dark space, which didn't help my hammering heart. Now I had to keep an eye on the statue in case it moved as  _well_  as creepy shadows!

**"You have no idea how wrong they were...it was _you_  who first became corrupt,"** the invisible entity revealed without any hesitation, without any pause so I could hardly make sense of his words.

I blinked, unable to process his revelation and not even caring the slightest bit that he'd just called me the Queen by name. Nothing compared to his harsh words that hit me right in the gut, words so horrible there was no possible way they could be true.

"No..."

My gaze turned back to the creeping shadows on the walls to make sure what I was seeing was actually real, that I hadn't just imagined it. They were still there, and still creeping. Creeping directly towards me—I took a hesitant step back. If the Master noticed, he didn't seem to care that I was already planning an escape.

The invisible enemy continued, each word lighting my soul ablaze and making it hard to concentrate on contacting Trico. He had to be out there somewhere; I couldn't let the Master get to me like this!

**_"You_  began to force the Companions into submission, using mind control techniques that  _you_  created yourself,"** he spat, voice leaking with the hate that the Chosen Ones had warned me of. In all my surprise, anger and heartache, I failed to notice familiar green patterns beginning to form around the sides of my vision.

"You're lying!" I screeched, my voice echoing like the Master's. I glanced every which way around the room, but the only thing I could see were the shadows that stretched out of the statue, and it still hadn't budged. Wasn't it going to come to life once the Master transferred his Energy into it?

**"You discovered that you were finally dying, your Bond Energy becoming weak after so many long years. You began to force other Chosen Ones to follow your new and unjust path, thus destroying them in the process and creating Lost Ones to guard what little Bond Energy remained and was still being gathered—destroying EVERYTHING we had created."**

I collapsed to the hard floor, the green patterns too strong for me to see straight.

**"It was I who tried to stop _YOU,"_**  the Master cried, his voice slamming against the walls and into my dazed head.

I squeezed my eyes shut, not daring to believe it for even a second. But was it the Master who was lying...or had the  _Chosen Ones_  lied to me? Peeking one eye open, I found that the green patterns were suddenly...gone, and the Master's voice had faded mysteriously into the background until it was no more. Light miraculously switched on, turning the dim bulb above into a bright golden ball. Even the black shadows were missing.

The mirror room looked just as it should with nothing out of place; even the statue was still in its spot with eyes no longer pink, having turned back into a normal stone statue. Everything was as it should be, but my gut told me that it wasn't over yet—that the Master was still inside the same space with me even though he was nowhere to be seen.

Unfortunately it turned out that I was right, the black shadows reforming in the center of the small pool. They twisted and swirled, connecting to form a shape that I could tell was going to be larger than anything I had ever seen before. The statue still wasn't moving after all this time, but I had no plans to stick around and find out what the shadows were going to create.

My breathing hadn't slowed in the slightest. My heart was still pounding so hard I feared it would burst, but somehow I managed to shuffle backwards in a haze towards the crevice that led into the tunnel, only getting up on two feet when I had no choice but to stand and make my way back out of the mirror room.

xxxx

The female Trico hadn't left, much to my relief. She was still waiting for me outside of the tunnel, her head pressed eagerly against the ledge as she awaited my return.

Just as panicked as I was, she didn't hesitate to take off when I wordlessly stepped onto her back from the ledge, still in too much of a shock to try and point her in a certain direction. The Master's words coiled around my mind, tightening and compressing until his words themselves gave me a throbbing headache. The Chosen Ones hadn't lied to me; they would  _never_  lie. The Master was a completely different story, however, and I knew deep in my heart he couldn't be trusted. He was doing everything he could to distract me so I couldn't call my Bond Energy forth, so I couldn't find Trico. No matter how much I called, he wouldn't—or _couldn't_ —answer.

_Trico,_  I tried again desperately. The Master's coils only tightened further, refusing to let my call be sent out across the Nest. Even amid my foggy and fearful haze I attempted to raise the mirror on the female Trico's back, pointing it towards the open sky in the hopes that it would do some good, or at least contact Trico. The mirror shined but still I couldn't feel a certain direction that my Trico could be in. The female Trico soared aimlessly about the Valley, her own sense of direction just as dull as my own. Even when the white tower came into our view, I was hesitant to go near what would end up being the Trico species' doom.

But what would happen if I simply raised the mirror towards the very top of the tower, the part of the tower where the strongest mind control device of all rested? Would the Master still be able to call the Tricos if I destroyed it? Or was he not connected at all to the tower any longer, since his orb had apparently been freed?

It couldn't hurt to try. I pushed my fear back strongly as I was able to clear my mind, ignoring the Master's probing and evil words of accusation that wouldn't stop echoing mercilessly through my head. The female Trico seemed to pick up on my thoughts, and I wondered again if it had something to do with my Bond Energy, if I was able to bond with more than one Trico. Maybe our new Bond Energy was what I'd picked up on, and not my Trico.

One final question couldn't be ignored. Were the other Tricos even able to shoot lightning from their tail like my Trico? Even in all my panic and rushing during the fight between the three Tricos, I'd noticed something peculiar about the female Trico's tail: a small, blue bead at the end of the tip when I'd brought the gate down upon it so she would get stuck. I'd only noticed for a moment, and then it had become a fleeting thought when I'd had to take care of Trico after the fight. It made sense...if my Trico could shoot out lightning by using his tail, then maybe the others could, too. The Chosen Ones might have had their own mirrors as well to protect the Nest long ago, but why the Master didn't force the controlled Tricos to use their lightning to his advantage was anyone's guess. It had just been dumb luck that my Trico had gotten struck by lightning in the game's flashback, making it seem like he was the only one capable of such power because of the incident.

I ignored any further questions, bringing my concentration to the task at hand. I sent a picture to the female Trico, instructing her to land atop the white tower. I was still hesitant and it might not be safe for any other Trico that was still under the Master's control, but the female Trico was fine now as far as I knew. She wasn't at risk of tumbling over the edge in shock since her mask was already off.

Whether my discovery of the blue bead shooting out lightning was true or not, I had no choice but to try. I slid off of her feathers, bare feet making a surprisingly smooth landing under the circumstances.

I raised the mirror and pointed the shining, green object at the mind control device sitting at the very top. It was just the Trico and I with no Lost Ones or other Tricos in sight. It was going to be easy! All the while I sent out a string of Bond Energy to my own Trico, determined to pinpoint his location. He still hadn't contacted me like he'd done after I had been separated from him the first time, but I wasn't going to give up on him so easily.

The mirror sent a ray of green shooting up to the antenna. The female Trico was hesitant at first, as though it had been a long time since her tail had last been put to use. I wondered again why the Tricos, nor the Master, had ever attempted to use the lightning against the boy or the villagers who threw spears at them, but there wasn't any time to wonder. Her tail raised slowly amid our newly forming Bond Energy not as strong as what I had with my Trico and I held my breath, hoping against all hope that it was going to work. Even if the Master wasn't destroyed after destroying the source of his power, I doubted he would still have any control over the remaining Tricos still under his command.

The female Trico's tail lit up into white. It was working, it was  _working!_

But just as soon as the tip of her tail had lit up—

The horrible, metallic and pounding noise surged without warning across the entire Valley, blue and hypnotizing circles sprouting from the antenna itself.

It was the same horrible, metallic and pounding call that had surged out across every inch of the earth to call the other Tricos. They had landed, obeying the Master's command to deposit their kidnapped Chosen Ones into the single bird feeder that would send the children's physical forms to the Master himself, physically created Bond Energy shooting back out as a reward for bringing the kids.

The female Trico's tail lowered at the same time as I lowered the mirror in my shock that the antenna had activated, her ears lowering just as flat against her head and dark eyes widening as she turned and looked out over the edge of the tower. Her actions were near identical to the ones my Trico would have made if he had been in her place—actions that signaled the arrival of the other Tricos.

I braced myself when a flock of white birds fluttered past in all their terror, sensing that something was wrong. Of course, I knew what that something was as I glanced out over the edge of the tower along with the female Trico.

Something was definitely amiss. Instead of an entire hoard of masked Tricos...

There was only one masked Trico.

_My_  Trico. There was no mistaking it—his missing right wing instantly gave it away. But even without that little hint, the Bond Energy that sparked and sent a jolt rushing through me was more than enough proof that it was indeed my Trico behind the mask and newly placed battle armour across his back.

_No..._ my mind raced, eyes blinking rapidly to force back tears that were already forming. It was only a single Trico,  _my Trico,_  and the Master had taken him under his command once again. No  _wonder_  I couldn't feel him as clearly or send out any contact information! The Master had tricked me into going inside the mirror room alone where I had first thought Trico was, but I'd been wrong all along.

"Trico," I said immediately, reaching out a hand. He hissed, pink eyes flaring and warning me to stay back. This wasn't good. This wasn't good at all! If I succeeded in destroying the Master, he would be in shock like the rest of the masked Tricos after regaining freedom and...no, I couldn't think like that! I had to find a way to free him!

Easier said than done with the terrible War of the Worlds alien tripod sound bursting all around us...

And when the other Tricos finally arrived, circling suspiciously like hawks about the tower.

_Go back down!_  I screeched in my mind, doing the best I could to extend my Bond Energy to them. It was cruel, but I couldn't help including an image of them falling to their dooms once the Master was destroyed.  _It's not safe! You need to get back to the ground!_

The flying Tricos did anything but heed my warning, continuing to soar around the tower. Two landed, creating a small single-file line that led to the open-mouthed bird statue. I tore my gaze back to my Trico, unable to watch as the two others opened their own mouths to deposit their catch of Chosen Ones—of innocent children who had been taken from their homes by their own Companions who were supposed to love and protect them.

I was frozen again not by the Master, but by the fact that there were so many controlled Tricos, and that my Trico had been forced back under their spell. The female Trico inched forward protectively, stepping in front of my ant-sized body compared to her own and all the others. My Trico rumbled, warning her not to take another step closer.

She paid his warning no mind, taking the next step.

Then a massive, brown blur shoved headfirst into her side. I let out a sharp gasp of shock, eyes following as she crashed to the other side of the tower.

The brown Trico. The boy! This whole situation had just become ten times worse, happening all around me as if in slow motion. Both my Trico and now the boy were at risk of the same fate as the other Tricos because of their masks if I didn't do  _something._

I had to put a stop to it.

My Trico growled, ignoring the ongoing fight between the female and brown Trico across the way. He took a step forward and I did the first thing that came to mind—raise the mirror. If it had connected to his eyes when we'd first met in the cave, maybe it would do the same now and activate our Bond Energy again. Carefully and slowly, I aimed for his eyes.

I only succeeded in blinding the poor thing, causing him to scratch at his helmet with his talons. He roared in frustration, charging towards me and swinging—

I was tossed to the far left of the tower, my little body miraculously hitting the hard surface—if I had gone any farther, I would have ended up like the boy when he'd fallen off the edge, taking a free ride on a rogue Trico...or worse.

My masked friend continued forward, snarling to his fullest. This was it, wasn't it? He was going to pick me up and take me to the bird feeder as a sacrifice for the Master. He'd wanted to make me suffer in a never ending circle, but what better way to make me suffer than to have my own Companion drag me to my end? If this really  _was_  the end...I wanted to remember only the good times between us, cheesy as it sounded. I squeezed my eyes shut as I waited, picturing the day I'd first discovered I was stuck inside a video game. Of actually petting Trico for the first time, something I never thought I would  _ever_  get the chance to experience.

Naming the barrels of Bond Energy 'toothpaste.' Humming "Dreams of Trico" to calm him down after fighting the Lost Ones...

Out of habit I began to hum, allowing the slow and mysterious tune to fill his ears. A tune so full of mystery and beauty that it was nothing but perfection for a creature as majestic as Trico and the world he came from.

I waited while I hummed. I waited and waited, fully expecting to be lifted and taken to my doom. But all I felt was a soft, feathery tickle against my sensitive skin...

I waited a little longer just to be sure, but the end never came. Peeking one eye open, my heart skipped a beat to find that Trico's glowing pink eyes...were back to normal?

The tune! It had broken him out of his control somehow!

"Trico," I gasped. It was all I could say, laughing quietly and wiping away happy tears with a hand. My Trico, my friend, my Companion was  _back._

He rumbled in worry and agitation, pawing desperately at his head to try and rid himself of the horrid mask. He stepped backwards and I panicked, reaching out both hands to rub his nose in a comforting motion while he overcame the shock that he was free again, that he hadn't taken me to the dreaded bird feeder like he was ordered to do.

"It's okay, boy. I'm still here...it wasn't you," I comforted softly.

His ears flicked in the direction of the fight between the female and brown Trico, his worry now focused on the boy. We couldn't let him hurt the original like this! Grunting, I stood shakily back onto two feet once more.

I hadn't been able to push the cart on top of his head to knock his mask off before, but now that I had the mirror...maybe this would work.

I hardly had the chance to raise it when a dark silhouette slowly but surely shrouded the golden sun. Trico squeaked a fearful chirp, his ears flattening and eyes widening to be ten times bigger than their normal size. All mind-controlled Tricos continued their work against the female Trico, bruising and battering her to no end until Trico Boy began to yank at the end of her tail. My own eyes widened, knowing what was coming next...except that it was supposed to be meant for  _my_  Trico and not her.

The black shadow crept ever closer over the tower.

In all the fighting, I'd wondered faintly in the back of my mind where the Master had gone if he hadn't possessed the statue in the mirror room.

Now I had my answer.

Looking behind us, my eyes widened when I met face to face with the gigantic, black shadow of...a Trico? The creature's dark feathers were translucent, its wingspan stretching out over the entire Valley and covering what the shadows on the ground couldn't in the sky. Just the sight of the new and massive Trico ten times bigger than any others was enough to triple every sense of fear that was taking over every particle of my already-overwhelmed being.

The Master...he wasn't using the  _statue_  as a new body like I'd expected, though he had put it to good use. He had used the statue to transfer his original orb body and use Real World Energy to transform himself into a giant, Shadow Trico—just as he had transformed the boy and I. He was using Real World Energy to its fullest potential now...

How ironic yet somewhat fitting to take on the form of the creatures that he had enslaved; even the mask and armour were intact. Why the Master hadn't chose to take on the form of a  _free_  Trico, I was unsure. Did he see  _himself_  as enslaved...?

I didn't have time to wonder long or react when the giant shadow shot towards me, the mirror flying right out of my hand! Neither did Trico. He cried out as I was taken higher and higher by the Master's talons, rising onto his hind legs like he was about to take flight after me. A simple and barely audible  _'no'_  from me was all that was needed to make sure he stayed where he was so there would be no risk of getting hurt. I just smiled down at him as I was taken higher above the tower farther than I thought was possible.

The mind control antenna was directly underneath us, and it was then I understood; we didn't need to communicate with words. The Master was going to destroy every single Chosen One at once by using his mind control...

And I was going to let him.

Shadowy feathered wings stretched across either side of the universe.

Endless screams of pain and terror clawed the center of my soul itself and I writhed in his grasp as he smiled down at my agonized, struggling form. Bond Energies ripped apart all at once, at the same time. Children feeling so empty and  _Lost,_  not knowing why and crying for a friend they would never have the chance to meet.

Their souls crumbled like the Lost Ones, unable to go on without their soulmates—the ones who would make them complete.

In the back of my mind I screamed to the heavens how it could be possible that I had made it out alive when my own Bond Energy with Trico was ripped to shreds. Was it because I was stronger than the other Chosen Ones, or was it because the _Master_  was now at his most powerful?

It wasn't right! I howled my despair as select, masked Tricos still and unknowingly connected to a Chosen One dived headfirst to the Nest grounds below. I could feel their heavy bodies  _thud_  upon impact into the harsh stone, not as lucky as my Trico had been when he had fallen from the sky himself.

When I thought I couldn't take the endless circle of pain and suffering anymore...

All was quiet.

It finally ended...but not in the way that the Master wanted.

"...I understand now why you hate Bond Energy so much that you want it gone forever," I said gently, caressing the Master's aching spirit with my own. I wanted to hate him like he hated me...but it was impossible.

He snorted as if unwilling to listen, a strong spray of shadow-mist hitting my face and reminding me of the time when Trico had sneezed right onto me.

I smiled, closing my eyes as the warm and pleasant feeling slowly began to return, replacing the dark and cold that swallowed me whole.

"You can't bear the feeling of love, the feeling of light. It reminds you of times that have slipped away, times you can never get back. I may have made mistakes in my past life that I don't even remember if what you told me is true. I am not asking for forgiveness on either side. Neither of us deserve it..."

A glowing, green light expanded on all sides from behind my closed eyelids.

"But I'm going to help you...the First Lost One," I said as my final statement, staring up into his see-through body into his bright, pink eyes at the spot where the mirror had once been placed in the statue.

The Master had caused the mirror to drop out of my hands on the tower, but I didn't need the mirror as I continued to hang limply from the tight grip in his talons.

I only needed Trico and his tail as what I visualized next became reality with full trust and faith that my Companion would catch me.

The Master bellowed his betrayal and I felt the unbearable, sharp stab of pain from deep within the confines of his mind, of his soul...

Of his Bond Energy that he so despised being ripped to shreds as he had done to mine. The Chosen Ones had claimed that they were—in a sense—the Master himself.

So the Master was  _them,_  his Bond Energy not as weak as he had once thought. The bit of original Bond Energies that still existed within his soul were enough to overtake the Energy that had become so corrupt.

When all was said and done I felt myself falling down, down, _down,_  yet still smiling. My smile grew just as wide as the Shadow Trico's wings had grown, enveloping the Nest and the white tower itself. I closed my eyes again tightly, allowing the warm and pleasant feeling to expand further and shadows to evaporate. Bond Energies repaired and hearts beat once again, giving life to those whose souls had crumbled, and my smile grew ever wider when chirps of confusion sounded from where I had once felt dull and heavy thuds. Confusion...but life and laughter as tiny, golden balls spread out across the open sky around me; I'd never seen anything more beautiful in my entire life.

_'We are free at last from our body prisons...we thank you from the bottom of our hearts...the First Chosen One. We are going to see our beloved Companions...'_

Funnily enough, I couldn't bring myself to care that they had called me the Queen. For no matter how much I tried to deny it, I knew deep down that it was true.

I landed with a sharp  _thud_  on something...soft? Something soft and...feathery. We were flying, soaring through the warm and sunny skies I had only moments ago been falling through, bright skies that had once been so cold and dark.

I knew then that everyone was safe, not even caring about what my fate would bring next. I'd used an ungodly amount of Bond Energy to repair what the Master had broken, to destroy the evil entity himself until he was nothing but love and light inside the very creatures and children he had tried to destroy. More than anything, I hoped he was at peace now as much as I was.

The sensation of flying halted, and all was suddenly still.

I could just barely raise my head or keep my eyes open, unable to make out the blurry shape of what appeared to be a young, robed boy before all went dark.


	25. Chapter 25

Softness and warmth were the first things to ease me back into consciousness. Blinking rapidly, one eye opened and then the other to see a giant face staring back at me. If I had gone back in time and it was my  _first_  time seeing Trico in person, I would have shrieked and jumped backwards. Instead I just laughed, reaching out my hands toward him.

"Hey, buddy. I'm glad to see you, too," I said gently, stroking the tip of his nose. In the back of my mind, I couldn't help but notice how weird it was that he didn't have his mask or battle armour on any longer; had they just disappeared when I'd used my Bond Energy?

He helped me up onto two feet, allowing me to grab the feathers on his front legs for support. I almost stumbled back to the floor, but he leaned his right wing downwards to stop me from falling.

Wait...his  _right_  wing? My gaze shot up, eyes bulging in surprise.

"Your wing! It's back!" I exclaimed, staring in complete shock at the returned appendage. There was his wing good as new, like Trico Boy had never ripped it off. Had my Bond Energy healed his wing, as well? It just wasn't  _possible,_  but I had to remind myself that  _anything_  was possible in this world. No more questions!

Trico snorted as if pleased that I'd noticed, raising his newly grown right wing to show it off. I laughed again, then stopped short. I finally took notice of  _another_  large shape beside us—the female Trico. She stood by my Trico's side and much to my amusement, he nuzzled her on the cheek. It was only until she nuzzled him back did I realize that she must remember Trico from the game and that he remembered  _her,_  as Trico had remembered the boy. It was love at (second?) sight, and just like they had been programmed to meet each other and fall in love, it was no different in real life, in another universe. The two were absolutely meant for each other, and I smiled warmly at the idea of Trico babies running about.

The female Trico huffed, positioning herself to lay down near the edge of the tower that looked out towards the entirety of the Nest. Trico lay beside her, stretching his head to the right so he could rest it on her neck, and she rumbled quietly in satisfaction.

It was only then did I realize that we were back on the white tower. It wasn't crumbling! Though we had defeated the Master, my Bond Energy must have kept it upright. It was still standing! My focus turned to the other Tricos still around us that finally caught my attention. They were still standing, too. They hadn't fallen off of the tower! Those that had fallen when the Master had ripped their Bond Energies apart were good as new, soaring blissfully in circles around the tower. The closer I looked, the more I noticed that their masks and battle armour had come off, as well. They were free Tricos now, shock and confusion no longer muddling their minds. When it came to the children who had sadly been sacrificed by their Companions to the bird feeders, the Companions who had participated in the act just stared blindly ahead at the sky, their gazes far away.

They were saddened, horrified and guilt-ridden by what they'd done to their kids, but it wasn't enough to send them tumbling over the tower—along with the help of my Bond Energy, they had regained their minds enough to take control of  _themselves._  They were mourning, unsure of what to do next and lost without their Chosen Ones. A pang of guilt shot through me, the Master's cruel words that  _I_  had been the cause of the Nest's downfall shaking my very core. What he had told me about creating mind control and taking over the Companions to try and keep myself alive...was it true? I guessed that I would never know, suddenly wishing I had taken up the three Chosen Ones' offer to regain my memory of my supposed past life. But the Chosen Ones had said that the Queen was kind and wise who ruled with just, and I trusted  _them_  more than the Master.

But amongst the sadness of the Tricos who had lost their Chosen Ones...there was hope. The Master was gone and he would never hurt anyone ever again.

"We did it, boy," I said, pressing my face against Trico's chest feathers as he lay next to his mate to admire the view; it was the most relaxed and content I think I'd ever seen him. He had reached his destination, his instincts fulfilled. "I told you we'd get up here." Just like I'd promised when we had stood at the edge of the Nest before I'd walked along the narrow ridge.

It was the second most beautiful thing I'd ever seen in my entire life—right after watching the Chosen Ones ascend, of course. The golden sun and orange sky merged together to create the perfect painting, a sunset unlike any other. Our peace didn't last for long, however, when the female Trico's ears perked up at a slight disturbance—a shuffling sound from nearby. Trico lifted his head from her neck and growled slightly, but soon stopped when a smaller shape made itself known. I followed his gaze, my stomach tying into a knot when a familiar child came into view from his apparent hiding spot behind a Trico that wouldn't stay still, curious about the little form next to him and trying to sniff at his dark hair.

It was the  _boy;_  he was back to normal, black and white robe identical to mine and all. If it hadn't been for our different hair and eye colors, we might have been twins. I must have used more Bond Energy than I'd thought if I had managed to change him back into his human form, robe good as new just like Trico's wing. I got up from my position against Trico's chest, taking a slow step towards him. He flinched. At first I thought he would take a step back, but he remained in place.

"Boy, am I glad to see you...boy. Sorry, I don't know your name," I began, my eyes hardly believing what they were seeing. I was finally meeting the boy in person, the  _main character_  of The Last Guardian that players controlled! The character who was  _us!_  I've never met a celebrity before, but I bet it felt a lot like this. I had to stop myself from staring, choosing instead to look down awkwardly at my feet that were just as bare as ever.

The boy stared back for a few moments, assessing my robe and giving a questioning look as to why I was wearing the exact same clothing as him, but dismissed it. Then he opened his mouth to give a quick answer, but just as quickly stopped, his innocent face scrunched up in thought.

"I can't remember my name..." he answered honestly, his eyes widening in panic.

"Don't worry, I'm sure it will come back to you soon," I comforted, glancing back up. This was the  _boy._  The character you could control in The Last Guardian, but here he was standing in front of me as his own person with his own free will just like Trico had now.

The boy glanced down at his own feet before his gaze could meet mine. "I hope so..." he said, unsure. He glanced back up just as quick; I knew what was coming next.

"What's your name?" He questioned, curious. I still couldn't believe that I was able to understand him like I had understood the Chosen Ones and the Master. He was speaking an entirely different language unique to The Last Guardian world, yet I could still understand what he was saying crystal clear. How he or the others had understood  _me_  was a whole other phenomenon...I came to the conclusion that it must have something to do with me being the First Chosen One. The boy didn't seem at all confused that I was speaking English, completely unaware like I had been that we were able to understand each other with no problems.

I opened my mouth to give a quick answer...or at least, I  _tried._  For some reason, my name just wouldn't come to me...it was on the tip of my tongue, but I just couldn't grasp it. Why couldn't I remember my own name?!

"Sorry, I can't remember mine, either..." I confessed after a long, awkward pause.

Weird. All this time and I'd never noticed that I couldn't remember my own name. For some reason, it wasn't as alarming to me that I had forgotten something so important; who I was—my identity.

"I'm sure you'll remember soon, too," the boy reassured me, his voice quiet and nervous when my Trico leaned his head down to ask for a snuggle.

"He wants you to pet him," I said, giving a light chuckle as Trico chirped his excitement that the boy was back to normal at last, that they were finally together again just as it should be. I had to wonder if the boy remembered Trico like the giant dog bird clearly remembered him. "You used to pet him like that all the time," I explained. All the while, the female Trico watched contentedly from her laying position near the edge of the tower. That is, until she decided to get up and copy Trico's actions, pawing at the boy's newly restored robe with her talons. The boy hesitated but couldn't hold in his laughter, losing his footing and falling, completely at the mercy of the two Tricos. It didn't help when the boy's laughter attracted the attention of the  _other_  Tricos on the tower.

A group of five came to see what all the commotion was, unmasked heads tilting almost at the same time in confusion as they watched the tickle fight between the boy and the two Tricos. I had to shake my head in exasperation; one of the first things they see with new eyes upon breaking free from the Master's control and it was the total opposite of a Trico attacking a young child! My Trico and the female ceased their actions when they sensed company, their heads shooting up and ears perking forward at the sight of the other five Tricos. Almost instantly they stopped their play session with the boy, as if they'd been caught stealing cookies from the counter. The boy picked himself back up, staring on in complete awe at the feathered giants surrounding us and sitting like innocent puppies; creatures who had once been so evil and dangerous just like the Master...but now they were exactly the opposite.

What happened next completely took us off guard—took  _me_  off guard, to be more specific. The five new Tricos locked eyes with me, and I half expected them to light up like Trico's did when the mirror had activated our Bond. But their eyes remained dark and placed on me, lowering their heads into a bowing position.

...They were  _bowing?!_

Even my Trico and the female followed suit, mimicking their movements and kneeling so their heads were practically resting on the white surface of the tower.

I had absolutely no idea what to do. What should I say in response? What should I  _do_  in response? I may have been a Queen in my past life, but I certainly wasn't one now!

"I think they're waiting for something..." the boy whispered. He was just as stunned and confused as I, probably wondering just why the Tricos were bowing for  _me_  of all people. I doubted he knew about the First Chosen One unless the elder in his village had told stories about her like he had told stories about the Tricos, but even if he had, the boy would never in a million years guess that the First Chosen One herself was standing right next to him in a different body. A different life.

The boy was right. The Tricos  _were_  waiting for something. But what were they waiting  _for?_  ...My approval to leave? It made sense. None of the other Tricos were trying to go anywhere yet, still circling around the tower like they were afraid to step foot out of the Nest, the place where they had been mind controlled for who knew how long; I didn't blame them that they might be hesitant to leave the one place they had known for practically their entire lives.

My expression softened to let them know that I was genuine, that I meant the two words I said next and that they could soar to their heart's content wherever they desired.

"You're free."

The five Tricos lifted their heads from the ground, two shaking themselves and ruffling their feathers to prepare for the long journey ahead. The other three set their sights to the open sky filled with the other Tricos and then ran, launching from the edge of the tower with massive wings spread. The two left behind snorted, glancing back at me for the last time. I nodded, and they finally worked up the courage to follow the others.

"Where are they going?" The boy asked as the entire flock of Tricos took flight into the orange sunset, some going one way and others going another to try and find a new purpose without their Chosen Ones who had been lost to the Master—maybe even to find new children to take under their wing, to love and care for...to form a Bond with. Some even parted from the group to take on the newest adventure of their lives on their own to find the ones they had unknowingly been yearning for while under the Master's command.

I watched, the familiar warm and pleasant feeling spreading and soothing my soul like a nice, cozy blanket.

"To meet the ones they have chosen," I answered. "Now that they are free from the Master's control, they will never bring harm to any of their children ever again under his command." Maybe the Nest would even return to its former glory...

A quiet rumble sounded from behind me. A rumble I that I had come to know so well and adored with all my heart...

My Trico and the female were still on the tower with us—the only two Tricos left. They sat together, unsure of what to do next, but I had already come up with a plan. Though the Trico species was saved, they still wanted to be together. He could leave with the boy and take her with them to help convince the villagers that the Tricos were kind and gentle creatures.

My mind was made up. Glancing about the tower every which way until my gaze landed on a bright, shining object, I moved to pick up the mirror from where it had been knocked out of my hands by the Master. The boy looked on, a small hint of recognition flickering across his face.

Trico stood up from his sitting position to move next to me and sniff the recovered mirror. Our Bond Energy intensified sharply for a moment, and I could feel Trico's reluctance when he sensed what was coming.

"You're free too, buddy..." I whispered, somehow managing to hold back tears that threatened to break loose. That is...until Trico decided to let out a sorrowful  _mooooo,_ nuzzling my cheek with his nose.

_You're not mine._  I couldn't bear to say the words out loud to him, but he definitely heard them through our Bond Energy loud and clear, his dark eyes brimming with tears of his own. I held out my left hand with the mirror to the boy.

"This belongs to you."

The boy's eyes widened. "N-not really," he sputtered anxiously. "I just borrowed it for awhile..."

I couldn't help but grin, remembering how the boy's older self had said that he'd decided to 'borrow' the mirror after finding it on the statue.

"Trust me, it's yours now," I reassured him. My grin faded when the situation at hand came rushing back full force.

"What  _can_  you remember?" I had to ask. I had to know.

The boy's eyes grew hazy, far away and unseeing as he recalled past events.

"I remember...Trico. My best friend," he started. Trico's ears twitched at the mention of his name. So the boy  _did_  remember Trico like the giant could remember him.

"I remember meeting for the first time after waking up in the cave, and going on an amazing journey together. We defeated the Master of the Valley who was controlling all the Tricos. And then...then..."

His eyes fluttered like he was trying to hold back tears.

"I remember my tribe. They had spears, and they hurt Trico with them. Then I had to send him away. I grew up without him...I don't want to send him away again! I never found out if he...if he was..."

If he was still alive.

A horrible realization crossed my mind that it hadn't  _just_  been the Master who had repeated the game over and over in the Real World while he was locked away. The Queen had to lock  _everyone else_  away, as well...all the Tricos and all the villagers. They'd had to repeat  _everything_ over and over and over in the game alongside the Master, and the thought made me sick that innocent people had to endure the same pain and loss as the Master himself—and that they were  _aware_ of it. I would go crazy! (Not that I  _hadn't_  gone crazy already.)

The boy continued.

"Then I remember the Master breaking free. He turned me into a Trico and I tried to hurt you and...I ripped off his wing...oh Trico, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean it!" The boy's tears got the better of him and he sobbed, pushing his face into Trico's feathers so I couldn't see. The beast didn't seem to mind one bit, allowing the boy to use his feathers as a kleenex.

"Trico lived," I comforted the boy softly to distract his thoughts from his Trico form. His head shot back up and he blinked in surprise at the sudden revelation, relief soon smoothing his stressed features. "He survived and came back to the Nest," I went on, "then he and this Trico had a baby of their own. He felt you calling him with the mirror."

The female Trico nodded her head as if she'd understood, her eyes brightening at the mention of her baby that would soon come to be if she indeed stayed with my (with  _his_ ) Trico.

"But how...how do you know all that?" The boy asked, wiping tears away with his robe.

I grinned again, shrugging. "I just do."

The boy frowned, obviously not happy that I hadn't come up with a better explanation. What was I supposed to say? That I was the First Chosen One, that I had trapped the Master of the Valley into a Playstation 4 console in another  _universe,_ and that he had been trapped inside along with the Master too, forced to repeat losing Trico over and over? I doubted he would like such an explanation, that  _I_ was the cause of his emotional turmoil. Speaking of another universe, how was I going to get back home now? The game was over, wasn't it? Everything had turned out for the better just as I'd hoped it would.

Just as soon as I had thought it, the world swayed suddenly, spinning. I nearly lost my footing, wobbling dangerously close to the edge of the tower. Trico chirped, grabbing me by my robe to lift me back up and prevent me from tumbling over the edge.

"Are...are you alright?" The boy questioned hesitantly, reaching out an arm as if to try and stop me from falling...but it was no use. "You're fading!" He exclaimed in shock.

I lifted my hands to see that the boy was right, that I was fading from existence as I had almost done inside of the blue doors before the Chosen Ones had stopped me. I wasn't turning into a Lost One this time, thankfully.

It felt as if someone had punched me right in the gut. The wind was knocked out of me and I fell to my knees, the rest of my body following suit soon after until I was curled in on myself. My chest heaved sharply and I breathed in and out to try and regain control, eyes suddenly feeling like thousand pound weights.

"T-Trico," I gasped sorrowfully, realization washing over me like the force of a deadly tsunami, a wave the size of the beast crashing mercilessly onto shore. He whined, alarmed at my sudden fall and inching closer to make sure I was alright, pressing his nose against my face. The female Trico simply watched, bemused at the child disappearing before her. My tattoos flickered, beginning to fade like the rest of my body.

This was it. The game was over...I had done what I was supposed to do. The boy was back to normal, and he was back with Trico. They were supposed to be together...he wasn't  _my_  Companion anymore. We had formed a Bond stronger and more powerful than anything I'd ever felt and  _would_ feel...but it just wasn't meant to be.

By using my Bond Energy, everything had been restored...including the Real World that was no longer attached to The Last Guardian universe. They were two separate worlds again and it was time to go  _home,_  the one thing I had wanted most since arriving in the game.

While my desire to go home wasn't as strong as it had first been, I couldn't decide whether I wanted to stay or go—I didn't have a choice in the matter. I was being called back to where I really belonged. I may have been the Queen in this universe in a past life, but not anymore. I was an entirely different person who belonged in an entirely different universe, now.

I stared up at Trico, refusing to let sadness take over. We had seen and done so much together, surviving the impossible despite the odds stacked against us. He purred as I stroked his head, and I smiled.

"Trico, I...I..."

What more was there to say? Everything had already been said before I'd faced the Master for the first time. I could say it all again, but it wouldn't stall or stop the inevitable...and I was horrible at goodbyes.

_I love you, too,_  a voice in the back of my mind replied without hesitation. My smile grew ten times wider, and I blinked in a pitiful attempt to stop the tears from pouring.

"Take care of each other..." I whispered so faintly I was afraid they wouldn't hear, the words draining weakly out of my mouth.

"We will. We promise," the boy confirmed, taking my disappearing hand gently into his own before it could fade away completely. I smiled ever wider at his kindness to a complete stranger that he didn't even know. But just from my interactions with Trico, he could see that we had gone on the same adventure as the two of them had, that I had formed a Bond with Trico just as strong as his.

"I won't let the village hurt him again...we'll show them that the Tricos are friendly. We'll make a better life for everyone."

The thought of Tricos living with the villagers who had forced the boy to send his Trico away in the first place was too good to be true. He and the boy together, no one to tear them apart—the way it _should_  have been. The happy ending of the game that every player wanted.

I only wished that I could have been there to see it.


	26. Chapter 26

Lightning flashed.

_Wake up!_

A strong hand made of stone reached out towards me.

_Please don't do this!_

Before the hand could wrap itself around me, it shifted and melted into an ominous black shadow...

**"You betrayed us,"**  a dark and cold voice hissed. It sounded so frightening and familiar...where had I heard it before?

"Please let me go," I begged, desperate to escape an endless green and black space I suddenly found myself in.

**"You're not going anywhere,"**  the voice proclaimed.

_You have to get up!_

**"You will never see your Companion ever again."**

The black shadow shot straight towards me—

I jolted awake gasping, eyes wide in panic. Breathing harshly in and out, my head turned every which way to try and make sense of my surroundings. When the blurriness cleared, I could see...a head floating over me? No— _standing._  There was a _person_  standing over me, her green eyes wide with worry.

My best friend.

"Are you okay?" She asked, still panicked yet relieved that I was finally awake. "I tried knocking on the door a few times, but you wouldn't answer. I had to use the spare key to get in!" she said in a rush, dangling said spare key. Well, that explained how she'd gotten into my apartment.

Wait... _my apartment._

I was  _home._  There was the TV in front of me, and the couch where I had been sitting and playing the game before  _it_  had happened.

I should be happy...why wasn't I?

The realization was quick that the greatest, most exciting thing that had ever happened to me was done and over with. I had disappeared from The Last Guardian world...I was never going to see Trico again.

A second realization was just as quick. I was  _home!_  Nothing looked out of place, but just to be sure...

"What day is it? What year?!" I asked my friend, trying my best not to sound as panicked as I felt.

"Um...it's 2017 now, remember? January 10th. Are you  _okay?"_  She repeated the question with extra force.

The Last Guardian had come out on December 6th, 2016, and I'd bought the game about month after its release.

Good. So time _hadn't_  passed at all in the Real World, just like I suspected it wouldn't have. I sighed in relief, tense shoulders slumping. Looking out the windows near the front door, I could see that it was daytime now; late morning, to be exact. The storm from 'last night' was over, leaving behind clear skies dotted with gray clouds and a rainbow that was just beginning to form. I glanced back at my friend, giving her a shaky and unstable smile.

"What were you doing all night?" She tried, since I obviously wasn't going to answer the 'are you okay' question anytime soon.

"You  _did_  talk me into getting The Last Guardian," I said. "I must have fallen asleep without realizing it while I was playing." Or lightning had struck at _just_  the right moment when I'd placed my hand on the console.

"I didn't talk you into  _anything._  You went online yourself and got it. I knew you would cave in eventually," she responded with a smug grin. "No one can resist Trico's cuteness." Yep, this was my best friend, all right. Same brown, short hair, same green eyes and the same sass and even the same, blue sweater she wore with Trico's head and the boy standing on top. But it was true; Trico's cuteness  _was_  pretty hard to resist. I knew that first hand!

I sighed again, getting ready to struggle to my feet. The first thing I noticed was that my body felt heavier. Taking a deep breath, I looked down at my hands that were no longer littered with black tattoos; they were plain and _bigger,_  unlike like they had been while I was stuck in my child body during the game. In fact, my entire  _body_  was bigger and taller. I was even back in my pajamas that I'd worn before everything happened! Not ready for the sudden change I swayed, expecting my friend to catch me before I could tumble to the carpeted floor.

Instead she simply allowed me to fall and I stumbled back down into a face plant, finding it awkward that I could depend on Trico now more than my best friend when it came to trust falls.

"Oh my goodness...is that  _you?"_

Her shocked tone rang in my ears and I glanced up, shaking off the fall. She moved out of the way so I could crawl over to sit next to her, and we both stared at the TV screen ahead. Her jaw opened, frozen in place and unable to close. I was only able to stare with wide eyes, hardly daring to blink in case I missed anything.

She was right.

It was  _me._

The end credits of the game were playing clips alongside names of the creators, somber piano music setting the mood. The clips themselves took on an 'old film' effect, flickering as they came on the screen one by one, fading into the next. An image appeared of me waking up in the cave, eyes wide and fearful of the massive beast that rested before me, melting into the next scene of me attempting to feed Trico 'toothpaste' for the first time.

Even amid my shock I let out a light chuckle, tears already beginning to form. Trico was stretching like a dog and laying down, getting ready to go to sleep. I was sitting next to him, sleep being the last thing on my mind. It was the first night we'd slept together under the stars, after the terrifying dream I'd had of the Master when I was eaten by Trico for the first time. The scene changed to me standing on the slim wooden ramp with Trico stretching his leg out, encouraging me to jump. I had just begun to put my full trust in him, and so I made the leap of faith.

Before I could stop them, the tears were flowing. My friend just stared, unsure of what to do. She allowed me to continue crying without asking any questions, keeping one eye on me and the other glued to the screen, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder.

The next clip flickered to life, featuring Trico and I resting amongst the golden glow of fireflies, the beast sneezing and nearly blowing them all away. Trico sneezing onto  _me_  next, playing hide and seek, splashing each other in the small pool, using my visualization ability for the first time to get him to dive, and reuniting after he'd found me when I couldn't hold my breath underwater any longer. Flying miraculously with only one wing, and then saying goodbye...

"I don't get it...how are you  _there?_  Is this some kind of prank?" My friend asked, becoming increasingly worried that she was either going crazy or that something was really wrong with the copy of the game I'd bought online.

I ignored her as the sad music changed to something bright, something more hopeful and inspiring with an angelic choir. The old film effect faded and the game's camera took over, zooming into fluffy white clouds.

The ruins that appeared underneath the clouds didn't look so much like ruins, and my breath caught in my chest when it seemed that the empty courtyards  _weren't_  so empty—the entire  _Nest_  didn't look so empty, once torn and battered structures now strong and stable. Children that appeared didn't look fearful of the "man-eaters" but played lovingly with their newfound Companions who had returned to their home, laughing and running through new, open fields in the Nest with delight.

The white tower was still standing...and sitting on the very top was a shining, blue pool in place of the Master's mind control antenna that had once sat in the same spot, the bird feeder statues no more. I instantly recognized the pool as Bond Energy—the physical form of the Bonds between children and their Companions, the Energy that had been contained inside the barrels all along. It was like a bird bath—the Tricos came and played, splashing their kids with unhinged joy, and even bending down to take sips of the life-giving substance.

_They could thrive with what the land gave, but with the special Energy our Bonds created, they were able to live..._ the three Chosen Ones' voices echoed.

"Look!" My friend suddenly gasped, pointing at the screen like I wasn't already giving the TV my full and undivided attention.

My eyes were getting difficult to keep open from the tears that stung, but still I didn't blink; they only grew wider when the white tower faded into a different scene.

A village.

The boy's tribe. My Trico...no,  _his_  Trico ( _our_  Trico) was playing happily with the village children. They were laughing, completely unfazed that there was a huge feathered man-eater chasing after them. From what I could tell, Trico was absolutely spear-free, not a spot of red on his feathers.

The beast stopped in his tracks suddenly, ears twitching like he'd heard something. His head perked up, and much to my surprise...he looked in  _my_  direction?

"...What's he doing?" My friend asked, backing away from the screen. "Why is he coming towards us?"

...Could he see me through the screen?

I held my breath as Trico stepped forward, his dark eyes twinkling like he knew something the other villagers didn't. He rumbled and stepped closer, causing my heart to pound ten times faster.

Then he pushed his nose up against the screen. I choked back a sob, smiling warmly as my tears allowed and lifting a shaky hand to press it against his nose in return. I couldn't feel his soft feathers, but physical touch didn't matter. Our Bond Energy flared between us, sending jolts of the same pleasant warmth that I had come to know rushing through me.

_I will always be there,_ a faint voice whispered in the back of my mind.

But then he moved away slowly to reveal another shape behind him. It was a tiny shape that was strikingly similar to the giant beast...

Two dark, yet bright eyes filled the TV and I almost squealed with delight, but my friend did the job for me. She squealed so loud my eardrums nearly burst, bringing her hands to her cheeks. "A baby Trico!" She shrieked.

_The_  baby Trico, I realized.

He and his mate had their baby! A baby that certainly rivaled its father's cuteness with fluffy and soft gray feathers, large ears much too big for its head and large, pink talons that it was going to have to grow into.

"Hi," I couldn't help but laugh in a childish voice, waving. The little baby squeaked, quickly following the movements of my hand and getting dizzy. Soon enough it was distracted by a blue butterfly, pawing at the tiny fluttering creature and taking off in the other direction to follow it.

"Trico!" The voice of an older man suddenly shouted. Trico's ears perked and he turned his head away from me...and back to the boy who wasn't exactly a boy anymore. He was a man now, wearing an orange robe with black tattoos still intact unlike my own. The green mirror was attached to his back, glowing its strongest. Trico stampeded to his side, throwing his front feet out to stop himself from crashing into him. The man smiled, leaning his head respectfully against his best friend. All the years that had passed in the game and the two were still together, taking care of one another just as the boy had promised.

The village was no longer afraid, welcoming the creatures that they had once hated and feared. I kept my eyes locked on Trico and the man for as long as possible, the camera fading into black until I could see them no more.

The words  _'The End'_  appeared, then faded into the game's original menu.

My hand slid slowly down the TV screen, and I turned to my friend who was still frozen in place, but not for long. She turned to face me, her eyes wide with confusion at what she had just witnessed.

"You want to tell me what just happened?" She asked, motioning towards the playstation. "Why was the ending different?"

I could only chuckle, shrugging my shoulders and smiling sheepishly. Was this going to be the ending of the game for every copy of The Last Guardian, now? I was going to have to play the game again to find out, and I wasn't really sure about taking on the challenge. It was going to be so  _different_  than actually experiencing the journey I had found myself thrust into.

"It's a long story," I eventually settled with.

"I have time," she said. But should I really tell her? It's not like she  _wouldn't_  believe me since she had seen the proof with her own two eyes. Should I really tell her that I had once been a Queen in a past life, that there were other universes? She  _did_  try to keep an open mind about everything. I knew I could trust her to keep a secret.

I had just returned from the greatest adventure of my life, but I was far from tired.

So I told her everything.

xxxx

The apartment was hauntingly quiet—so quiet that I could hear the wind whistling from outside and cars as they drove by. My friend had suggested pesto pasta and garlic bread for dinner to celebrate my supposed 'return' that she was still wrapping her head around, since it was one of my favorites. She was my friend, so of course she was understandable, trusting and believing of what I'd told her. She was honored at first to meet the 'Queen' from another universe, bowing and laughing; I didn't really mind that she'd made somewhat of a joke out of it, that I was  _far_  from being a Queen in  _any_  universe; I just laughed along with her. She was jealous most of all that I'd gotten to meet Trico. She wanted to know every last detail about the great beast, especially how it had felt to pet him. She was amused that I had actually called the barrels of Bond Energy 'toothpaste' as she herself had always called them, and the fact that Trico would respond whenever I mentioned the silly name for the barrels.

Not really thinking, I agreed to the pesto pasta dinner, aching yearning and nostalgia battering my senses when the scent of garlic began to make itself known. Garlic would forever remind me of Bond Energy, recalling the big pot I'd had to shut. Also the fact that it tasted like sugar didn't help matters, considering that sugar was a part of every day life. I was just going to have to deal with it. While we ate dinner and I told her about using one of Trico's many feathers to point him in certain directions, I noticed with a start and a horrible sinking feeling as I reached a hand to my head that my feather wasn't attached to my hair anymore; it had disappeared along with my robe and tattoos.

Now that my friend had left after convincing her that I was indeed okay, I realized just how utterly  _alone_  I really was. To try and distract myself, I went on the internet and looked up the ending of the game on youtube—just to be sure that my ending had only been a once in a lifetime thing and that it hadn't been transferred to other consoles. I wasn't about to try  _playing_  the game again, though I knew that with the Master gone now, I didn't have to worry about getting sucked inside. I had actually, really lived through the adventure, and simply playing the game wasn't going to be enough anymore, especially when Trico was so close, yet so far. Just like how it had been weird to actually experience the game first hand, it would now be weird just watching and controlling the boy through a screen; I wasn't ready to play it again and I didn't know if I ever  _would_  be ready. Maybe I should just plug in my trusty Nintendo 64 again...

Much to my relief, I found that the ending of the game was the same as it had always been with no extra cutscenes in sight. I could relax; the ending of the game was the same in  _this_  universe, but in its own separate universe, it was different.

A good different.

xxxx

It took a long time to fall asleep my first night without Trico, closing the window blinds so I wouldn't see the many universes shining above. I lay in my soft and cozy bed, but instead of relishing how soft it really was and feeling grateful that I no longer had to sleep on hard ground or grass, I wanted the exact opposite. The only thing I could do was hum the one tune that had comforted him in a pitiful attempt to comfort  _myself_  that he wasn't there anymore to hear it.

Trico had comforted me that he would always be here in spirit, but in spirit wasn't enough. I wanted to feel his feathers, to snuggle up against his chest and to put my full trust in him that he would catch me as I fell hundreds of feet again.

I tried to reach out with my Bond Energy, concentrating on sending images of my apartment to him so he could at least see where I was now, but clutched at never ending emptiness instead, unable to feel the familiar warm and pleasant sensation that came with the special Energy. It was only cold...it was only empty, and there was no way I could try and get back and nothing I could try and do that would fill the gaping hole in my chest.

But suddenly and without warning, a sharp  _poke_  penetrated my side. Eyes widening, I reached under the bed covers to feel for the culprit when my hand wrapped around something...soft? Pulling my hand back out, I discovered that—

It was a large, gray feather; the very same feather that I had tied to my hair.

My heart stopped, and it was all I could do to just hug the feather close to my aching chest and never let go. When I managed to get myself together I stood up, going into the kitchen to find a good-sized glass. I reopened the blinds in my room so the shining universes could peek down onto the feather that I placed atop a small desk next to my bed, crawling back under the covers.

I smiled in my sleep.

xxxx

Going back to work was...disorienting. And boring. After all the adventure and excitement in The Last Guardian that had taken place, a simple office job was no longer satisfying, and difficult to get through every day.

So I took a little 'vacation' until I figured out what to do next. I even stayed with my parents for a few weeks, hugging them tightly when they came into view and telling them how much I loved and missed them, relieved that they and every other person in the Real World was alright—that the Master hadn't somehow destroyed them all. Confused a bit at the 'I missed you so much' statement, my mom and dad nevertheless welcomed me with open arms until I was ready to go back to living on my own.

"I know it's your birthday and you got to pick where to go, but why did you want to come  _here_  of all places?" My friend asked. It was a hot day in June, and screams of fun-filled terror pierced the air at the amusement park I told her I wanted to go to, an assortment of different smells from different foods wafting through the air. It was just the two of us on the weekend—I wasn't the fondest of parties or doing anything big to celebrate, so we had decided to simply spend the day at the last place on earth where I wouldn't normally be found.

"There's something I need to do," I said, nodding towards the ride that my cousin had once tricked me into going on by only filming the smooth parts. I stared at the last drop that was visible at the very end, determined to face one of my worst fears...but this time willingly, and of my own accord.

Just because I could. I was turning twenty six today, after all.

"Who are you and what have you done with my friend?" She questioned lightly, completely surprised that I actually wanted to go through with it. But since telling her everything about my adventures with Trico, understanding had passed between us that I wasn't quite the same person I had been before getting sucked into the game.

"You don't have to do this if you don't want to," she said quietly.

"I want to," I reaffirmed, giving the waterfall drop a hard stare. A group in a large, circular raft came speeding down, screaming and laughing and getting soaking wet.

I  _needed_  to. I needed to feel the thrill of falling, the thrill of flying that just couldn't be matched by a silly amusement park ride. It wasn't the same at all, yet it was as close as I was going to get...

We waited in the long line, stepping onto the ride together, and I had the time of my life falling in the raft down the dreaded three drops.

xxxx

She said she had a present for me when we returned home, and that I should close my eyes so I wouldn't see her gift when she went to get it.

"Well, I know you're taking a break from work and you've been down lately. I also know you miss...him. So I figured you could use a friend."

_Him._  She knew I missed Trico, that every day in the months that we had been apart was another day when my soul felt like it was being ripped to pieces by the Master himself...now I knew exactly how the boy felt growing up an entire  _lifetime_  without his best friend.

"What are you talking about?" I questioned suspiciously, doing my best to keep my eyes squeezed shut.

"Wait here," she said, her voice growing ever more excited. "And no peeking!" She shouted in the distance.

I shut my one eye quickly that I couldn't resist opening, waiting (im)patiently in the living room.

"Okay. You can open them now," she said. I could almost feel the excitement leaking from her voice. I opened one eye slowly, and then the other.

She was holding...a crate? She set it down on the soft floor, opening up the entrance so that whatever was inside could come out. At first I couldn't see anything, just a dark space. But then two little eyes appeared, and a small creature with paws made its way out.

I couldn't say anything. It seemed my mouth had gone numb, unable to move.

It was a puppy. A little fluffy, gray puppy with a white chest and floppy ears. I couldn't tell what breed it was; probably a mix. But it  _had_  to be a small breed, or else the apartment complex wouldn't allow it.

"I was keeping an eye out at the shelter for a dog that would do well in an apartment," she explained. She worked at the local shelter, and I was stunned and grateful that she had ever considered choosing a puppy just for me; the thought had never even crossed my mind.

I still couldn't speak, even when the little ball of fluff tripped over itself to try and get to me. I could only laugh as it lost its focus, its own tail capturing its attention. The puppy swirled around and around in vain trying to catch it, only succeeding in tumbling over into my lap.

"He's a boy and doesn't have a name yet. Since I was already waiting for a puppy like him, I wanted you to think of one first."

"Hey there, little guy," I said softly. He yipped, pawing playfully at my shirt. I rested a hand on his beautiful, shiny fur, an image of gray feathers flashing in my mind. It was just so  _soft_  and almost exactly the same as...

"Raising him is going to take a lot of patience," my friend laughed as the rambunctious pup sneaked off of my lap to try and chew on the carpet. I wrapped my hands around him gently as I could to pull him away, bringing him back into my lap.

"I think I can handle it," I chuckled lightly when he lifted his head up to lick my face. Heck, I had experience with a giant, feathered cat-dog-bird! A tiny pup like this was going to be a cinch. "Thank you so much. I love him."

"So...what  _are_  you going to name him?" She questioned curiously, smiling at the puppy's clumsiness.

A grin crept slowly across my face, and I could tell that she knew I had already picked one out from the moment I saw him.

"Trico."


End file.
